IPL 2021: Rajasthan Royals name South African bowler as Liam Livingstone's replacement
The Rajasthan Royals (RR) have named a replacement for England's Liam Livingstone, who pulled out of IPL 2021, citing bubble fatigue. The franchise has roped in South Africa's Gerald Coetzee for the remainder of their campaign.
Gerald Coetzee is a 20-year-old fast bowler who has played for South Africa in two U-19 World Cups. His arrival is expected to strengthen RR's bowling arsenal after the 2008 champions lost four overseas players before the halfway stage of the tournament.
"I've played with Gerald Coetzee in the Mzansi Super League. The guy can already bowl at 145-plus, and he's 19, so he's an extraordinary talent. He needs to be managed well and can be a South African great if he keeps doing what he's doing," Kagiso Rabada had said about Coetzee earlier.
Gerald Coetzee has featured in only eight T20 games, taking nine wickets at an average of 23.33 and an economy rate of 7.68.
He last played professional cricket in February this year, doing so in the CSA T20 Challenge. In two matches in that tournament, Coetzee picked up two wickets and scored nine runs.
Rajasthan Royals have endured an indifferent IPL 2021 campaign
In six games in IPL 2021, the Rajasthan Royals have won only twice, struggling to collectively fire in all departments of the game.
Their only wins this season have come against the Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), by three and six wickets, respectively.
Considering their lowly position in the points table, the seventh-placed Rajasthan Royals cannot afford any more slip-ups if they wish to qualify for the IPL 2021 playoffs.
In their next game, RR will be up against the struggling Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. With the Hyderabad-based team languishing at the bottom of the points table, the Rajasthan Royals will fancy their chances of returning to winning ways in this game.