Wanindu Hasaranga, who starred for Sri Lanka in the T20I series, is highly in demand as a replacement player for the UAE leg of the IPL 2021. Reports suggest as many as four franchises are interested in him.
The easiest way to catch the attention of the IPL decision makers is to perform against India and Hasaranga delivered an outstanding performance in the just concluded limited overs series. He picked 7 wickets in three T20I matches at an extraordinary average of 9.57 and was rightly named the ‘Player of the Series’ in Sri Lanka’s triumph.
Hasaranga has been one of the very few positives for Sri Lanka in the last few years, performing consistently across formats. The leg-spinner has a terrific skill set with control and variations, making it very hard to tackle him. He also offers great batting value down the order and can be extremely effective in smashing spinners.
IPL hasn’t been kind to specialist spinners as only the world-class spinners get picked in the league due to the four overseas players limit. Hasaranga, apart from being one of the best leg spinners going around, has immense all-round value which goes in his favour. The stars seem to have aligned to give Hasaranga his much awaited and much deserving IPL contract.
The UAE leg of the IPL 2021 is slated to begin from September 19. However, many overseas players, especially from England are likely to withdraw from the tournament due to the tight schedule and bio-bubble fatigue. This should open up the slots and Hasaranga with his skill set could be one of the prime targets. If the reports are to be believed, the fans should get to see Hasaranga in the IPL in September.
The legendary Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan believes that Hasaranga will be picked in the IPL, but he understands the dynamics regarding overseas spinners and is sceptical about the leg-spinner getting game time.
An IPL franchise should look at him. But the problem is, if it’s a local player, he walks into the side. But if it’s a foreign player, you have to see which franchise wants a foreign spinner. It’s a tricky thing. They will buy him [Hasaranga] but playing him is something that will not be easy for a franchise.
Murali was quoted as per ESPNCricinfo.
