Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capital will play their second match of the IPL 2021 on Thursday. The Wankhede Stadium is proved to be a happy hunting ground for the batsmen and this match should be no different. Both the teams have some young explosive players who have hit the ground running early in the tournament and whether they can maintain their form that will be key.
Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi Shaw had an interesting last twelve months. In India’s last tour before the pandemic, he was India’s number one choice of opener in tests and given opportunity in the ODIs. But he had a poor IPL in UAE and after the first test in Australia he was dropped from the team. He was also criticised for his behaviour and dropped from the team. But he took this in his stride, worked on his weakness and came back with a bang. He had a brilliant Vijay Hazare Trophy where he scored four hundred including a double hundred. He finished with 827 runs and led Mumbai to the trophy. Shaw carried his form in the IPL and started the campaign with an audacious 38-ball 72 against Chennai Super Kings. He looked in his old self and if he can maintain his form throughout the tournament, Capitals can expect another successful season.
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Chetan Sakariya
Chetan Sakariya also have a story of an emotional journey. The left-arm pacer from Saurashtra made his IPL debut in Rajasthan Royal’s first match of the season and impressed one and all with his pace and control. In a match where close to 440 runs were scored, Sakariya conceded only 31 runs in his four overs while picking up 3 wickets. Sakariya came to the limelight after picking up 12 wickets in 5 matches in the 2020/21 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy who also maintained an economy rate of 4.9, one of the lowest in the tournament. He was rewarded when Rajasthan Royals spend 1.2 Crore in the 2021 auction to get the youngster’s service. It was an emotional moment for Sakariya who lost his younger brother during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and was not told by his family. He would hope to continue his good show against the Capitals to achieve new heights for himself and his parents to comfort them.
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