Veteran pacer Sandeep Sharma, who has a ton of experience of playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), was spotted in a Rajasthan Royals jersey at the team's training camp in Jaipur. Sharma went unsold at the auction and was absolutely devasted after finding no suitors for his talent. But now it seems like the right-arm pacer might have finally received a well-deserved opportunity with the inaugural champions of the cash-rich league.
While no official confirmation has been made yet by the Rajasthan-based franchise, fans are predicting that Sharma has been roped into the Royals' squad as injured Prasidh Krishna's replacement. In what came as a massive big blow to last year's finalist, their Indian pacer Krishna's longstanding struggles with his back forced him out of the 2023 season. Krishna, who last played a competitive game in August 2022, was undergoing rehabilitation for a stress fracture. The Royals had earlier announced in a statement that Krishna would be missing the tournament.
"Rajasthan Royals would like to confirm that their 26-year-old pacer Prasidh Krishna will miss the 2023 season of the IPL owing to a stress fracture surgery, and the rehabilitation process that will follow. Prasidh has suffered a lumbar stress fracture and has been advised surgery which will mean he needs more time to recover and get back to competitive cricket. We are doing everything possible to support and aid Prasidh's recovery process," they said.
With Krishna ruled out, the Royals are hunting for a replacement and they have supposedly zeroed in on Sharma. Talking about Sharma, the right-arm pacer is vastly experienced when it comes to competing in the IPL. He has represented franchises like the Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the cash-rich tournament.
The 29-year-old boasts a fantastic record in the cash-rich league. With his ability to swing the new ball, subtle change of pace and to nail lethal yorkers, Sharma has bagged 104 wickets in as many IPL games. He has an economy rate of 7.77 along with two four-wicket hauls to his name.
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