IPL 2021 | WATCH – Chetan Sakariya claims 3/31 on IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Uncapped pacer Chetan Sakariya made his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut playing for Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Monday (April 12) against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The 23-year-old left-arm speedster was bought by RR at the IPL 2021 auction in February for a sum of INR 1.20 crores after showing stellar domestic form.
Sakariya, who has an impressive T20 record to his name with 28 wickets from 16 outings at an economy rate of 7.08, only bettered his numbers in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament played earlier this year.
The Saurashtra quick bagged 12 wickets from his 5 outings in India’s premier state-based domestic T20 competition while conceding just 4.90 runs per over. The short bidding war that was witnessed between RR and fellow IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to fetch Sakariya’s services was pretty much justified.
WATCH – Chetan Sakariya Scalps Mayank Agarwal On Debut For Rajasthan Royals (RR)
The IPL, of course, is a level of cricket much higher than whatever Sakariya had played in his career before. But on debut for RR against PBKS, he looked unfazed by the magnitude of the challenge and made a swift beginning despite being asked to bowl in the powerplay overs.
Sakariya made use of the traditional ‘over-the-wicket’ angle across PBKS’ two right-hand openers KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal. He brought some in and took a few away in his opening spell, and eventually got Agarwal out nicking behind as the batsman tried to make room and open up the off-side.
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As RR skipper Sanju Samson comfortably grabbed the ball, Sakariya jumped up in delight in what was a beautiful moment, enriching the legacy of IPL as a competition where talent meets opportunity.
Sakariya’s RR teammates, including captain Samson, immediately got around the youngster and congratulated him for what will surely remain an unforgettable moment of his life.
After proving he can ball within the field restrictions, Sakariya showed he can also hold his own in the death-overs quite well as he did a reasonable job of keeping the rampaging PBKS batsmen in check and added to his tally of scalps for the day with the breakthroughs of KL Rahul and Jhye Richardson. The young quick returned with decent figures of 3/31 on his IPL debut.
RR will hope Sakariya can continue the good work following his opening spell in IPL 2021 and resolve their longstanding issue around Indian fast-bowling.