IPL 2021 was a tournament full of revelations involving young cricketing talent, and in the Royals camp where catalyzing the rookies is one of the main goals, we’ve experienced and celebrated the starts of some fantastic careers. This was a season that saw many players make their tournament debuts. While there were many overseas debuts for the Royals with us this season, the crop of young Indians stood out for us. It was they who came to the fore and made things happen at different stages of the season.
23-year-old Chetan Sakariya, who was bought by the Royals for INR 1.2 Crores in the auction this year, made his IPL debut in our very first game of the season and hasn’t looked back since. Setbacks in his personal life did not stop him -- facing everything with a golden smile, he made it to the big stage and once he was in the pink jersey, he made it count. He went on to play all 14 league matches for RR while also making his international debut, in July, ahead of the UAE leg.
In his maiden IPL season, Sakariya claimed 14 wickets- the joint second highest for RR- with an economy of 8.2 which was the best amongst the top 5 wicket-takers in the camp.
Most Wickets for Rajasthan Royals – IPL 2021
Sakariya’s 14 wickets also put him fourth among uncapped bowlers in IPL 2021 just below the three emerging talents in death overs bowling.
Most Wickets by Uncapped Players – IPL 2021
From Mustafizur Rahman’s cutters to RCB pacer Harshal Patel’s slower wicket-taking deliveries, this IPL season relied greatly on the variation of pace. Among the bowlers who rely majorly on the slower deliveries, Sakariya has left a major mark with 6 wickets of his 95 slower deliveries- comprising 30.4% of his total deliveries bowled- with an impressive economy of 6.9.
Highest no. of Slower Deliveries – IPL 2021