IPL 2021: "RR have been smart in picking their replacements"- Deep Dasgupta

Evin Lewis had a sensational CPL where he scored a century

Former Indian wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta believes that while big names are missing in the Rajasthan Royals (RR) camp, they have been smart in replacing them with in-form players.

Players like Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Andrew Tye are unavailable. But RR have replaced them with the likes of Evin Lewis, who had a brilliant CPL. Glenn Phillips from New Zealand was also in fine form in the Vitality T20 Blast and The Hundred.

Other options like Oshane Thomas and No.1 ranked T20I bowler Tabraiz Shamsi are also on whom Deep Dasgupta stressed in a video on his YouTube channel. Here is what he had to say:

"Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Andrew Tye are all not available. All these players were picked to win matches. But on the flip side if you see their replacements, they are all in good form. Evin Lewis had a good CPL where he also scored a century. Glenn Phillips is also in good form. Tabraiz Shamsi is also the number one ranked T20 bowler. So RR will miss their match-winners, but they have been smart in picking replacements."

Sanju Samson matured as a batsman for RR in the first half of IPL 2021: Deep Dasgupta

Deep Dasgupta was impressed with the way Sanju Samson batted in the first half of the IPL 2021 season. Samson has often been criticized for his inconsistency, but he scored 227 runs in 7 games including a fine hundred.

Sanju Samson will take on a lot of responsibility in the absence of Jos Buttler. Deep Dasgupta is confident the RR skipper is ready to take on a larger role.

I felt he [Sanju Samson] has matured as a batsman in the first half of the IPL," he asserted.

Dasgupta also feels the RR bowling might be ineffective on the UAE pitches, meaning bowlers like Chetan Sakariya and Jaydev Unadkat, who depend on variations, might struggle.

"The bowlers like Sakariya, Unadkat were playing in India. But the pitches in UAE I don't think will suit bowlers who will depend a lot on cutters and variations. So that kind of bowling might not work on these kind of pitches," Deep Dasgupta concluded.

Underrated match-winning performances and where to find them in #IPL2021 so far! 😎

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