Though the clash between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was eclipsed by Pat Cummins’ blistering knock, a couple of other players were also able to grab the limelight. One of them was left-handed batter Tilak Varma.
MI have suffered three straight losses in the tournament but Varma has been a stand-out performer for the franchise. The batter played a small yet impressive knock of 22 runs off 15 balls in his debut match against Delhi Capitals, followed by a scintillating knock of 61 off just 33 balls against the Rajasthan Royals. Against KKR on Wednesday, Varma held the front from one end as he remained not out at 38 runs off 27 balls, hitting 3 fours and 2 maximums.
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Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri was impressed with Varma’s shot selection and composure. While speaking on Star Sports network, he said the 19-year-old has shown a lot of potential in the matches he has played for MI.
“He has shown a lot of potential in both the innings he has played for Mumbai Indians. I am impressed looking at his wide range of shots- front foot, back foot, sweep. There’s a lot of variation in his shot selection,” Shastri said.
“His composure, body language and temperament are very good for a young player. He’s batted very confidently. This player has the potential to go ahead. Tilak Varma has shown positive intent with his batting and these are good signs for Mumbai Indians. Once Suryakumar Yadav is back in the playing eleven, Mumbai’s middle-order will be strong,” he added.
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Varma came into the mega auction with a base price of Rs. 20 lakh, and several franchises were in the fray to get a hold of him. Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings indulged in a bidding war to bag his services, but in the end, it was MI, who managed to acquire him for Rs. 1.7 crore.
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