IPL 2021: 3 RR players who might not play a single game in the second half
IPL 2021 is set to resume on September 19. While almost half the season is over, there is a lot to play for in the remainder of the season. No team has qualified or been eliminated so far and it remains to be seen who can be at its best in UAE conditions. A number of players have pulled out of IPL citing various reasons, and the IPL 2021 teams have gone on to announce their replacements as well.
Rajasthan Royals is perhaps the one team that has suffered the most. They will be without the services of some of their main players for the remainder of the IPL. Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, and Jofra Archer will miss the remainder of the IPL. They have announced replacements for these players and it will be interesting to see who they pick in the main XI.
Let's have a look at 3 players who might not get a single game for RR in the second half of IPL 2021:
3. KC Cariappa
The mystery spinner from Karnataka was expected to be a big find when he was picked up by KKR for Rs 2.4 crores at the 2015 IPL auction. However, he failed to perform as he went for 28 runs in 2 overs in his debut game against RCB. However, he did pick up the wicket of AB de Villiers. He was later picked by the Punjab side who also soon went on to release him.
He is currently in the RR side but is unlikely to get a game in the remainder of the IPL 2021. Cariappa has played 11 games in the IPL thus far and has picked only 8 wickets at an economy of 9.67. These numbers are not good enough to warrant a place in any IPL side.
Rajasthan Royals have plenty of spin bowling options and it seems unlikely that they will go to Cariappa. They have specialist spinners in the form of Tabraiz Shamsi, Mayank Markande, and Shreyas Gopal. RR also have various spin bowling all-rounders to assist the main spinner.
2. Akash Singh
The Indian pacer Akash Singh became a very popular name after the 2020 U19 World Cup. He is a left arm bowler who gets good bounce and generates seam movement. After a good performance in the U19 World Cup, where he picked up 7 wickets he was picked by the RR side.
Although Akash Singh could be a great option for the future, it seems unlikely that he would get a game this season. He is inexperienced and has not done anything great recently to earn him a spot in the XI. A left arm pacer is normally a very attractive commodity, however RR already has Mustafizur Rahman, Jaydev Unadkat, and Chetan Sakariya.
RR has various Indian pacers in the form of Sakariya, Unadkat and Kartik Tyagi to go with their brilliant overseas options. These pacers came good in the first half of the season and therefore RR has no reason to change anything. It looks like Akash Singh will have to wait a bit longer to make his IPL debut.
Click here for the updated IPL 2021 stats.
1. Oshane Thomas
The tall West Indian pacer was recently added to the RR squad as a replacement. He has been with the team previously as well but it seems unlikely that he would make it to the playing XI. He has played 4 IPL matches thus far and has picked 5 wickets in them. He has decent numbers in T20I's but his economy of 9.16 is on the higher side. He struggles to bowl with consistency, which has proven to be costly for him and his team.
What makes things tougher for Thomas is the quality of overseas players RR have at their disposal. Chris Morris plays as the all-rounder and they also have Mustafizur Rahman and Andrew Tye in their set-up. All these pacers are proven assets while Thomas is yet to establish himself.
His height and pace can be very useful but without the right line and length it becomes very easy for the batsman. The pace can work for you or against you and for Thomas, at most times, it works against him. Unless something drastic happens it seems unlikely that he will get a game in the remainder of the IPL.
RR did not do well in the first half of IPL 2021. They are currently placed fifth in the IPL points table 2021 with three wins and four losses. They will have to put up a better showing for the remainder of the season to finish in the top four.