IPL 2024: Keshav Maharaj replaces Prasidh Krishna at Rajasthan Royals
South Africa's senior spinner Keshav Maharaj has been roped in by Rajasthan Royals as a replacement for Prasidh Krishna. The latter was earlier ruled out of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) edition after undergoing surgery on his left proximal quadriceps tendon. In another development, Kolkata Knight Riders announced Allah Ghazanfar as their replacement for the injured Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Here are further details.
A look at IPL's official statement
"Prasidh recently underwent surgery on his left proximal quadriceps tendon and is currently recovering. His replacement Keshav Maharaj, a veteran South African cricketer, has played 27 T20Is, 44 ODIs and 50 Tests and has scalped 237 wickets in international cricket," the official IPL statement read. It added, "Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) named Allah Ghazanfar as replacement for the injured Mujeeb Ur Rahman."
Maharaj's credentials
Maharaj, an established South African spinner, entered the IPL 2024 auction at Rs. 50 lakh. However, he remained unsold. The Royals have now picked him at his base price. Maharaj, who is yet to feature in the IPL, has 130 T20 wickets to his name. The left-arm spinner has also accounted for 586 First-Class and 182 List-A wickets.
RR's star-studded spin attack
The Royals already have the services of Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal, two of India's best spinners. They also retained Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa, who has now withdrawn from the season. Therefore, RR signed Maharaj as a back-up.
Who is Allah Ghazanfar?
As mentioned, Afghanistan's Allah Ghazanfar has been drafted in place of Mujeeb at KKR. The 16-year-old off-spinner has played just three T20s and owns five wickets so far. He has also represented Afghanistan in two ODIs but is yet to take a wicket. Notably, Ghazanfar has also played for Afghanistan in the ICC Under-19 World Cup.
