3 reasons why Prasidh Krishna out of IPL 2024 is not a big blow to Rajasthan Royals' chances
The BCCI announced earlier today (March 12) that Prasidh Krishna will not participate in IPL 2024. The fast bowler, who was a part of India's squad that finished runners-up in the 2023 World Cup, underwent surgery on left proximal quadriceps tendon last month.
Prasidh Krishna will need some more time to attain full fitness. The BCCI medical team confirmed that he would not play a single game for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the upcoming IPL 2024 tournament.
It is a major blow for the Rajasthan Royals because they retained Prasidh Krishna for ₹10 crore ahead of the IPL 2024 Auction. Krishna joined RR in IPL 2022 and played a big role in the team's journey to the final. He picked up 19 wickets in 17 matches at an economy rate of around eight runs per over in that tournament.
Although Krishna's absence will leave a big hole in the Rajasthan Royals team, the management would not be too much worried about it due to the following three reasons.
#1 Prasidh Krishna missed entire IPL 2023 as well
This is not the first time the Rajasthan Royals will have to play an IPL season without Prasidh. The fast bowler missed the entire IPL tournament in 2023 also. In that season, the Royals almost qualified for the playoffs. They eventually finished fifth in the points table with seven wins from seven matches.
Considering that the Rajasthan Royals almost made it to the knockouts round in IPL 2023, the team management would have confidence in their rest of the squad to perform slightly better this time and guide the team to glory.
#2 Rajasthan Royals have enough variety in their pace attack for IPL 2024
Rajasthan Royals are one of the few teams with two experienced Indian spinners in their squad. They have leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who guarantee eight quality overs in every match.
The presence of Chahal and Ashwin in the spin attack allows Rajasthan to pick even two overseas fast bowlers if the combination demands. They have two talented foreign speedguns in Trent Boult and Nandre Burger this year.
Plus, the Royals also retained Kuldeep Sen, who made his ODI debut for India in 2022. Sandeep Sharma, who was quite impressive in IPL 2023, will also continue to don the Royals jersey. Most importantly, the Jaipur-based franchise roped in Avesh Khan from the Lucknow Super Giants in the trade window. Thus, RR have enough options available.
#3 Rajasthan Royals can sign a talented all-rounder as replacement for Prasidh Krishna
As mentioned earlier, RR have enough depth in their bowling unit. They also have a stacked batting lineup, but the all-rounders' section seems a little empty. RR have four all-rounder options in Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rovman Powell, and Abid Mushtaq.
With Prasidh Krishna ruled out, RR can pull off a smart move by signing an unsold all-rounder as replacement. Some underrated Indian all-rounders like Jalaj Saxena, Hrithik Shokeen, Vivrant Sharma, Raj Bawa, Atit Sheth, Hanuma Vihari, and Kamlesh Nagarkoti went unsold at the auction. One of them can perhaps get a contract from the Royals.