Former South Africa cricketer Jonty Rhodes lauded young batter Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) Ayush Badoni who smashed record-breaking 19 sixes in the ongoing Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2024. The legendary Proteas batter went on to compare him with his former teammate Herschelle Gibbs for his ability to hit the ball in different areas of the ground. The LSG fielding coach also revealed that Badoni's talent left head coach Justin Langer impressed.
"He is a precocious talent that is for sure, he is short so he has got a low centre of gravity. He gets under the good length deliveries he can hit it anywhere around the ground, he has such fast hands. Justin Langer was so impressed with the sheer talent that he has," Rhodes told PTI Videos on the sidelines of Pro Cricket League launch event.
"He reminds me a bit of Herschelle Gibbs. He has tremendous hitting ability and when he matches that with calmness, presence of mind, good game plan, he will become a really tough guy to bowl to because he can play both conventional and unconventional shots with ease."
Badoni’s record-breaking knock
Badoni broke the record for most sixes by a batter in a T20 innings. Former West Indies batter Chris Gayle held the record with 18 sixes in an innings in a Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) encounter. He scored 165 runs from 44 balls including eight fours. He shared a 286-run partnership with Priyansh Arya who hit six sixes in an over in his 50-ball 120. Leading the pack, he helped South Delhi Superstarz post 308/5, the highest T20 total on Indian soil.
Badoni’s numbers in DPL
The 24-year-old is currently the second-highest run-scorer in DPL 2024. He has scored 515 runs at an average of 64.38. It will be interesting to see if LSG retains Badoni ahead of the IPL mega auction.
Badoni in IPL 2024
In Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, he averaged 29.38 scoring 235 runs including two half-centuries. His strike rate was 137.43. In IPL 2022, he was picked for his base price of Rs 20 lakh.
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