India and Royal Challengers Bangalore spin bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar was on Monday ruled out of the UAE leg of the Indian Premier League 2021 after failing to recover in time from his finger injury.
“Royal Challengers Bangalore’s all-rounder Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the remainder of the Vivo IPL 2021 due to a finger injury,”
the RCB said in a media release.
The Virat Kohli-led T20 franchise haven’t opted for a like-for-like replacement for Sundar and have instead chosen to bolster their pace department by roping in Bengal fast bowler Akash Deep.
Akash, the 24-year-old right-arm seamer, had been around the RCB set-up for a while as a net bowler and has now entered the team’s main playing squad. He has good numbers to show for in his early days at the domestic level, having picked up 21 wickets from his 15 T20 outings at an economy rate of just 6.67.
“Akash Deep, a state cricketer from Bengal and net bowler with the franchise has been named as replacement,”
“The move reiterates the focus RCB has on grooming and nurturing young players as the team continues to develop exceptional talents and create a pathway for young talents to find their way into IPL and Indian Cricket.”
the RCB added in their statement.
Coming back to Sundar, according to a PTI report, the youngster appeared for a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore only a couple of days back. But the inability to clear those meant that his IPL participation became a huge risk. The last thing Sundar would’ve wanted is to aggravate the injury and spend extra time under rehabilitation.
Sundar’s absence is a huge loss for the Challengers as he has been an integral part of their plans and first-choice playing XI over the last few seasons. In the last year’s edition of the IPL – which was also played in the UAE, importantly – Sundar had an exceptional economy rate of only 5.96 over 15 matches and played a vital role in helping his team progress to the play-offs.
Also an improving batter down the order, the 21-year-old would’ve hoped for another fruitful stint of matches on dryish, spin-friendly venues in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
Sundar’s injury, meanwhile, is a massive concern for the Indian team as well. With the T20 World Cup starting only a couple of days after IPL 2021 gets completed, India would desperately hope that the Tamil Nadu off-spinner makes a quick recovery from his finger issue.
A tall off-spinner with the ability to nail the defensive lengths in the powerplay and the middle overs, Sundar is considered a crucial part of India’s plans for the T20 World Cup, which starts on October 17, only two days after the IPL 2021 completes on October 15.
India begin their campaign with the Super 12 round fixture against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 24 in Dubai. The inaugural edition champions will also face New Zealand, Afghanistan and two preliminary round qualifiers in Group 2 with the aim to seal one of the four semi-final spots.
Sundar has played 31 T20Is for India with 25 wickets and an economy rate of 7.24. He also has had a strike-rate of 146.87 with the bat.
