Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) has encountered a setback in their bowling arsenal as star spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has been sidelined from IPL 2024 due to a left heel injury. However, the Orange Army swiftly responded by securing a replacement, announcing the signing of 22-year-old Sri Lankan leg-spinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth.
“Vijaykanth, a leg-spinner from Sri Lanka, has represented his country in a solitary T20 International so far. He joins the Tata IPL at his base price of INR 50 lakhs,” an IPL statement confirmed.
Viyaskanth, though less seasoned, presents a promising alternative. With experience in one T20I and a commendable performance in the ILT20 2024, where he played for champions MI Emirates and bagged eight wickets in four matches at an impressive average of 5.43, Viyaskanth brings depth to SRH’s spin department.
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Hasaranga, acquired by SRH in last December’s auction for INR 1.5 crore, unfortunately, faces a stint on the sidelines due to persistent discomfort in his left heel. Despite a stellar debut season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, where he secured 26 wickets, Hasaranga’s limited involvement in the previous edition led to his release from the franchise.
🚨 ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨
Wanindu Hasaranga will be unavailable for the season due to injury. We would like to wish him a speedy recovery.
Sri Lankan spinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth has joined the squad as his replacement for the rest of #IPL2024. Welcome, Viyaskanth! ✨ pic.twitter.com/A2Z5458dH8
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) April 9, 2024
The arrival of Viyaskanth bolsters SRH’s spin resources, complementing players like Washington Sundar, Mayank Markande, and Shahbaz Ahmed. The 22-year-old aims to seize this opportunity and leave his mark in the premier T20 league.
However, SRH now faces a conundrum regarding their foreign player selection, with talents like Glenn Phillips and Marco Jansen vying for spots in the starting XI. The team management must decide whether the new recruit will secure a place in the early matches amidst this competition for spots.
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Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) Squad: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Abdul Samad, Nitish Reddy, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, T Natarajan, Umran Malik, Washington Sundar, Mayank Markande, Glenn Phillips, Rahul Tripathi, Mayank Agarwal, Anmolpreet Singh, Upendra Yadav, Jhatavedh Subramanyan, Sanvir Singh, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Marco Jansen, Akash Maharaj Singh, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth
