IPL 2022: Wanindu Hasaranga weaving a winning web for RCB
The Sri Lanka leg-spinner had big shoes to fill as a replacement for Yuzvendra Chahal, and he is showing his versatility with wickets and control at any point in the innings
Eyebrows were raised when Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) chose to release leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, one of their rare assets with the ball who shone in the largely underperforming team since joining them in 2014, into the mega auction pool. What the franchise did there invited further chatter. They bid aggressively for Sri Lanka leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, snapping him for a whopping ₹10.75 crore at Chahal’s expense.
Hasaranga had joined them last season as a replacement for Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa, playing just two games and not picking a wicket while conceding 60 runs. What then did RCB’s think-tank see in the Sri Lankan to have him as their joint-highest buy? Four games into their 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, we know well.
He has taken eight wickets so far—the second most this season, behind KKR’s Umesh Yadav (9)—as a central figure in RCB’s promising start. After a quiet first game in which he went for 10 an over against Punjab Kings with RCB failing to defend 205/2, the 24-year-old has come into his own.
The spinner captured 4/20 against KKR, engineering their collapse from 46/3 to 67/6 by removing Shreyas Iyer, Sunil Narine and Sheldon Jackson in the space of nine balls. The effort even prompted Chahal, the man he has seamlessly replaced in RCB, to tweet: “Wanindu Hasaranga champion”.
He has indeed carried on bowling like one. On Saturday against Mumbai Indians (MI), the Sri Lankan sent back their two overseas players in Dewald Brevis and Kieron Pollard. The latter’s dismissal was telling, given it came off a delivery Hasaranga has been known to cause maximum damage with. Ask Jackson, who left a yawning gap between bat and pad for the googly to sneak through and hit the stumps. Ask Pollard, who, despite probably anticipating Hasaranga to dish out a wrong one early. He could do little about the one that spun back sharply, and caught him at the crease and struck backfoot, to be ruled leg before for a golden duck.
“Normally my googly will turn little bit more than my leg breaks. That’s why I love to bowl more googlies,” Hasaranga told the broadcaster after the game on Saturday.
That was for all to see during India’s limited-overs series in Sri Lanka last year, and in the T20 World Cup in the UAE, where Hasaranga finished the top wicket-taker with 16 in eight outings at a superb economy rate of 5.2. Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka used his trump card as an attacking option at different stages of the game. Against an ever-attacking England, Hasaranga took the new ball and got Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow inside the powerplay to halt their charge while against South Africa Hasaranga bowled at the back end of a tense chase to account for Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram and Dwaine Pretorius for a hat-trick.
RCB skipper Faf du Plessis seems to have taken cue, timing Hasaranga’s overs depending on the opposition and match situation. Against Rajasthan Royals, he wasn’t given the ball until the ninth over. After having Sanju Samson caught and bowled, the Sri Lankan also ensured the in-form and set Jos Buttler and Shimron Hetmyer couldn’t break free in the middle overs. Against MI, with openers Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan having got their eye in, Hasaranga was introduced in the powerplay as RCB chased wickets.
A versatile leg-spinner who can have an impact pretty much at any point through the 20 overs is a handy weapon to possess. “He (Hasaranga) has been terrific in taking that leadership in the spin department,” RCB opener Anuj Rawat said after leading the chase against MI. “He has bowled some amazing overs in the powerplay as well. He’s been crucial for us in the team.”
The reason why RCB shelled out what they did for an overseas spinner.
“We were looking closely at picking a quality leggie in the spin department. The fact that he can contribute with the bat is a great value add,” RCB head coach Sanjay Bangar had said after the auction.
Yes, Hasaranga also has 345 runs in 35 T20Is at a strike rate of 120. RCB haven’t needed him to bat yet, for he is doing the job with the ball so well.