IPL 2021: Rajasthan Royals name Evin Lewis and Oshane Thomas as replacements for Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes
Rajasthan Royals have named the West Indian duo of Evin Lewis and Oshane Thomas as replacements for all-rounder Ben Stokes and wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler for the second leg of the 14th season of the IPL.
Rajasthan Royals' official Twitter account revealed on Tuesday that the West Indian opener Evin Lewis will replace England stumper Jos Buttler. Meanwhile, pacer Oshane Thomas will replace all-rounder Ben Stokes for the remainder of IPL 2021 time table.
Check out the Rajasthan Royals' post here-
Ben Stokes is unavailable due to mental health issues. The star England all-rounder featured in just one game during the first leg before he got ruled out due to a finger injury.
Jos Buttler, on the other hand, smashed his maiden T20 hundred in what turned out to be the last game for the Royals during the 1st leg. Buttler will be unavailable for the 2nd leg as he is currently on paternity leave.
Evin Lewis and Oshane Thomas have previously featured in the IPL
West Indian southpaw Evin Lewis will be looking to prove his worth in the upcoming season after the opener failed to attract any bidders during the 2021 IPL auction.
Lewis had also gone unsold in the previous auction and that's probably because of his past failures in the cash-rich league.
Lewis was picked up by Mumbai Indians in the 2018 auction for a hefty sum of Rs 3.8 crore. He was retained the following year but the left-hander proved to be a disappointment.
In 16 games across two seasons, Lewis managed a mere 430 runs at an average of 26.87 and a strike rate of 131.09 with 2 50+ scores.
He was subsequently released ahead of the 2020 auction where he went unsold.
Check out the latest IPL point table list 2021 today.
That said, Lewis has been in great form this year while playing for the national side. He was the leading scorer for the West Indies - 178 runs in 5 T20Is at an average of 35.60 and a strike rate of 160.36- against South Africa.
Oshane Thomas, on the other hand, has previously featured for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. He was, however, released from the squad ahead of the 2021 mini-auction.
Thomas is currently plying his trade in the CPL where he has dished out good performances for the Barbados Royals thus far.