Keshav Maharaj's trip to India this summer didn't go without an IPL (Indian Premier League) contract as South Africa's premier left-arm off-spinner was roped in by Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Thursday (March 28) as the replacement for their injured pacer Prasidh Krishna.
Following Maharaj's signing, Rajasthan Royals put out a video featuring the captain of Durban's Super Giants in which he can be heard saying, "Namaste! It's only fitting for a Maharaj to be a Royal."
Watch the video:
Though not a like-for-like replacement, Maharaj's inclusion for an injured Prasidh Krishna strengthens Rajasthan's spin strength. Prasidh recently underwent surgery on his left proximal quadriceps tendon and is currently undergoing rehabilitation.
Maharaj was the best spinner during the second season of SA20 in South Africa and conceded runs at just 7.30 per over. He comes in with a lot of experience and Rajasthan can play him on surfaces that offer plenty of turn. The 34-year-old spinner has played 27 T20Is for South Africa and picked up 24 wickets at an economy rate of 7.38.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan are holding onto the second spot on the points table with four points from two wins and have a net run rate (NRR) of 0.800. They won their second consecutive game at home as they defeated Delhi Capitals (DC) by 12 runs on Thursday (March 28).
Riyan Parag was the hero for Rajasthan in their second fixture as he smashed an unbeaten 45-ball 84 and helped the team post 185 which turned out to be a winning score at the end.
Rajasthan Royals squad for IPL 2024:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (c/wk), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sandeep Sharma, Avesh KhanBenchRovman Powell, Nandre Burger, Tanush Kotian, Shubham Dubey, Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Keshav Maharaj, Donovan Ferreira, Abid Mushtaq, Kunal Singh Rathore
