Sri Lanka’s latest spin sensation Wanindu Hasaranga is making all the right noises at a very opportune time. According to a report in Inside Sport, Royal Challengers Bangalore, SunRisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, and Punjab Kings have expressed interest in acquiring the tweaker’s services for the remainder of IPL 2021 in Dubai.
Being adjudged the “Man of the Series” in the T20I format against India, his awe-inspiring exploits ahead of IPL has made him a prime target of at least four franchises in the absence of English superstars, who have a jampacked international itinerary and might miss out on the Dubai leg of the cash-rich league. His assortment of regulation leg-breaks and wrong’uns proved a handful for Indian batsmen, who miserably struggled to read the googly, in particular.
Hasaranga passed with flying colours in the just concluded T20I series against India, capturing 7 wickets in three matches at a terrific economy rate of 5.58. In his overall T20I career, the right-arm leg break has undertaken 33 scalps in the 20 games he has played for Sri Lanka. He possesses an exceptional overall economy of 6.56, which is beyond good given the punishment meted out to bowlers in today’s day and age of slam-bang cricket.
Hasaranga also usurped Afghanistan’s new T20I captain Rashid Khan to accomplish a career-best second spot among T20I bowlers in the latest ICC rankings. Claiming the throne is South Africa’s Tabraiz Shamsi, who has a 72-point advantage following nifty returns on the tour of the Caribbean and Ireland earlier this month.
