Delhi Capitals (DC) once again went into the game against with three overseas players in their side. Against table-toppers Chennai Super Kings (CSK), DC dropped veteran Australian batter Steve Smith to give uncapped Ripal Patel his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut cap.
Logic behind picking Patel
This is not the first time Rishabh Pant-led DC have played a game in the second phase of IPL 2021 with just three overseas players. The idea behind picking the 26-year-old is his outstanding strike rate of 189.10 in T20 cricket. DC have plenty of batters who can play the role of an anchor. They lack players who can play quickfire innings that can boost the score in death overs or help the side dominate in middle overs.
Patel’s domestic numbers
Patel scored 191 runs from 11 games at an average of 31.83. He is yet to score a half-century and his T20 career-best score is an unbeaten 41. In 2020, the hard-hitting batter wanted to get listed in the auction but a poor run in domestic cricket turned out to be a roadblock in his IPL dreams. He even gave trial for Rajasthan Royals (RR) but was not selected.
In Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2020-21, The Gujarat batter made headlines playing for Gujarat in a rain-truncated five-over per side game. Batting at no.3, the right-handed batter hit 30 runs in a single over of Gujarat’s Veer Pratap Singh top help his side chased down the target of 64 in just 3.4 overs. He played a 32-run cameo including three fours and three sixes. As a result, Patel was picked by IPL 2020 runner-ups DC for his base price of Rs 20 lakh. The youngster can pitch in with the ball as well. He has four wickets to his name from nine List A games at an average of 20.50.
Patel hails from a small village called Nadiad and had humble beginnings. He started out as a tennis ball cricketer and later joined a cricket academy in Kheda district.
