From becoming the youngest player to take a hat-trick on ODI debut to bamboozling the Indian batsmen on his googlies, Sri Lanka leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has been the talk of the town in recent times.
On Saturday, the 24-year-old ticked another box in his cricketing career when he was bagged by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the remaining phase of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. He will replace Australia’s Adam Zampa, who won’t feature in the UAE leg of IPL 2021 due to personal problems.
Hasaranga was the ‘Man of the Series’ in the recently concluded T20I series against India, taking seven wickets in 3 matches at an economy rate of 5.58.
After signing Hasaranga, RCB head coach and Director of Cricket Mike Hesson said: “We have an extensive scouting program, Wanindu has been on our radar for a long time. We aren’t surprised by his success in recent times, he has been doing it for a while. We like his skill set. We like the fact that he is a multi-skill cricketer, so he offers us the ability to bat a little bit deeper as well. That gives us a lot of exciting options.”
Meanwhile, Hasaranga took to Instagram to share his thoughts after being picked by the Virat Kohli-led squad for the remaining IPL 2021. The Galle-born cricketer stated that he is excited, honoured and thrilled to be a part of this ‘amazing’ side.
“From sitting at home and watching them, to being a part of an amazing team. I am excited, honoured and thrilled all at once,” Hasaranga captioned his Instagram post.
RCB will resume the 14th season of IPL on September 20 as they take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
