IPL 2021: All you need to know about RCB’s latest signing – Akash Deep
Cricket fans must have marked their calendars with the second leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) being just around the corner. The gala tournament resumes on September 19 with all the remaining matches taking place in the United Arab Emirates. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are indeed one of the teams to watch out for as they enjoyed a sensational run in the first half of the season.
With five wins in seven games, the Virat Kohli-led side was third in the team standings at the time of season suspension. Hence, they need just three wins from their remaining seven league-stage games to secure a place in the playoffs. However, the three-time finalists suffered some major blows ahead of the UAE leg with many players being unavailable. While some pulled out due to different reasons, injuries also dented multiple RCB players’ campaigns.
Nevertheless, several replacements have been announced and RCB would want their new recruits to shine in the Arab nation. Uncapped Indian pacer Akash Deep is also among the new faces in the Bangalore camp. Notably, he has replaced none other than Washington Sundar in the squad. The star off-spinner sustained a serious finger injury during a warm-up game in England in July. Subsequently, he got ruled out of the gala T20 competition.
🔊 ANNOUNCEMENT 🔊
Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the remainder of #IPL2021 as he hasn’t fully recovered from his finger injury. Akash Deep, a state cricketer from Bengal who until now was a net bowler with RCB, has been named as Washi’s replacement. #PlayBold pic.twitter.com/azaMgkaDZp
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) August 30, 2021
Sundar’s ouster opened doors for Akash Deep and the young fast bowler would be raring to shine in his maiden IPL assignment. While he’ll enjoy bowling on big grounds of UAE, tackling stalwarts from different parts of the world would take some beating.
Meanwhile, let’s look at some lesser-known facts about Akash Deep
Akash Deep was born on December 15, 1996, in Bihar. He is currently 24 years of age.
Deep is a right-arm fast bowler who represents Bengal in the domestic circuit. Although he’s not known to set the speed gun on fire, his swinging deliveries can trouble the batters. Notably, he is also a handy batsman lower down the order.
He made his First-Class debut against Andhra Pradesh in December 2019. The pacer impressed one and all by taking three wickets in the first innings.
Akash Deep was instrumental in taking Bengal to the final in Ranji Trophy 2019-20. He took 35 wickets in nine games alongside playing some handy cameos.
In T20 matches, the fast bowler has so far taken 21 wickets in 15 games at a brilliant economy rate of 6.67.
Akash Deep was a net bowler for RCB in the first leg of IPL 2021. Last year, he travelled to UAE as a net bowler for Rajasthan Royals.
A conversation with Indian pacer Mohammed Shami inspired Akash Deep. “I used to bowl mid-130s, but after following his advice, I worked on my fitness,” he said in a conversation with ESPNcricinfo.
