The second phase of the Indian Premier League 2021, is set to start in three days in the United Arab Emirates. Several international cricketers have pulled out of the IPL for a plethora of reasons. So, the teams have made key replacement signings. From Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga to Australia’s Nathan Ellis, many players have received their maiden call-up for the IPL. So, let’s take a look at three debutants who can be the game-changer for their respective sides in the second leg of IPL 2021.
Tim David – Royal Challengers Banglore
RCB has picked Singapore’s Tim David as a replacement. 2021 has been the year of Tim David. In nine months so far, he has played a total of eight tournaments around the world. He also became the first Singapore international cricketer to play in IPL He has played 14 T20 Internationals with 558 runs by his name at an average of 46.5 with an impressive strike rate of 158. He also has the experience of playing in the Big Bash League. David scored 279 runs at a strike rate of 153.29 for the Hobart Hurricanes in the 2020/21 Big Bash League.
In the Royal London One-Day Cup recently, he scored two hundred and a fifty scoring 340 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 150.44. With Lahore Qalandars he scored 180 runs at an average of 45 and a strike rate of 166.66 in PSL 2021. David can be the game-changer for RCB in the second phase of IPL 2021. He has the ability to hit towering sixes and also rotate the strike effectively. And his recent strike rates in the T20 leagues are proof of it – 153 at the Big Bash, 167 at PSL, 136 at T20 Blast, 150 at RLC ODI’s, 250 at the solitary Hundred game, followed by 149 in the CPL.
Wanindu Hasaranga – Royal Challengers Banglore
Another player who can be the key for RCB is Srilankan all-rounder, Wanindu Hasaranga. He has been in top form with the white ball right now. The 24-year-old announced himself to the world as an all-rounder on Sri Lanka’s tour of England. He was the second-highest scorer with 100 runs in the three-match ODI series.
During the India tour of Sri Lanka this year, Hasaranga showed his class with the ball. He was the highest wicket-taker in the T20I series, picking 7 wickets in 3 games at an astonishing average of 9.57. On the tour of the West Indies, Hasaranga picked up 8 wickets in the T20 series, the most by any bowler. In the recently concluded SouthAfrica tour of Sri Lanka, he bagged 3 wickets in 3 games. Hasaranag can be the solution for RCB’s struggling lower-middle order. Not only will he add the necessary depth to RCB’s batting department but he will also form a deadly leg-spin duo with Yuzvendra Chahal on UAE pitches.
Adil Rashid – Punjab Kings
The England spinner, Adil Rashid has been included in Punjab Kings’ side as a replacement for the Australian pacer Jhye Richardson. Adil Rashid has always been a handy spinner in the T20s. He also holds impressive numbers with the ball in the T20s. Overall, Rashid has played 194 innings, taken 232 wickets, at an economy of 7.43. Currently, he’s ranked fourth in the ICC T20I bowling rankings behind Shasmi, Hasaranga, and Rashid Khan.
In the recently concluded, The Hundred tournament Adil Rashid finished as the joint-top wicket-taker. He picked 12 wickets at an average of 14.41. With pitches in the UAE expected to get slower and slower as the tournament progresses, Adil Rashid can be the impact player for Punjab kIngs in the second phase of IPL 2021.