3 fast bowlers who can replace Prasidh Krishna at RR for IPL 2024 ft. Raj Bawa
On Tuesday, March 12, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released a media advisory, stating the medical and fitness updates on Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Shami and Prasidh Krishna.
Much to the ecstacy of many, Pant has been declared fit to compete in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. However, both Shami and Prasidh will miss the 17th season of the IPL after undergoing surgeries.
Prasidh, in particular, picked up a left quadriceps injury during a Ranji Trophy match in January. He then underwent a surgery on his left proximal quadriceps tendon and will miss the entire IPL 2024 season due to rehab. The lanky pacer even missed IPL 2023 when he suffered a lumbar stress fracture.
Prasidh, who has played 51 IPL games thus far, played an integral role for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) during his side's run to the final in IPL 2022. He picked up 19 wickets at an economy rate of 8.29 in 17 games that season.
As Prasidh is out for another IPL edition, here are three possible replacements Rajasthan Royals could sign in upcoming days.
#3 Sandeep Warrier
Rajasthan can look at Sandeep Warrier, who is similar to Prasidh Krishna in bowling style. A tall pacer who is a superb new-ball bowler, Warrier has been previously part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Mumbai Indians (MI) setups.
He is an experienced player in domestic circuit, having played over 222 games, with 73 of them in T20 format, taking 398 wickets in his career so far across formats.
Apart from this, Warrier started his domestic career with Kerala, meaning that he has shared the dressing room with RR skipper Sanju Samson before. This might tempt the Royals to sign the Indian international as a backup.
#2 Kuldip Yadav
Rajasthan Royals released Kuldip Yadav ahead of the IPL 2024 auction. The left-arm pacer was with the franchise for three years after they purchased him in 2021 for ₹20 lakh.
The Delhi-born pacer played three IPL matches in his career, where he took two wickets at an economy rate of 9.33. Having previously been part of RR's setup for multiple years, Kuldip is familiar with the environment of the franchise.
Moreover, he will add a much-needed left-arm pace bowling option for Rajasthan. RR don't have a Indian left-arm pacer in their squad as of now. Kuldip is renowned for using his left-arm angle and can generate enough swing to trouble opposition batters.
#1 Raj Bawa
Raj Bawa could be a perfect option for Rajasthan, who are lacking genuine all-round options. Bawa rose to prominence after winning the Under-19 ODI World Cup for India in 2022, where he scored 252 runs and claimed nine wickets with an impressive economy rate of 22.22.
He even put up a match-winning performance in the final against England, bagging a five-wicket haul. Although picked up by the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at IPL 2022, he only got to play two matches.
Surprisingly, Bawa went unsold at the IPL 2024 auction, but he can be a valuable addition to any franchise, especially Rajasthan, who are in need of all-rounders. Bawa also had a decent Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023 campaign, bagging seven wickets across four innings.