“Something they have seen in him, which we haven’t seen in 3 years” - Sanjay Manjrekar questions RR’s backing of Riyan Parag in IPL

Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar has expressed surprise at Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) backing of Riyan Parag, despite the youngster failing to deliver in two IPL seasons.

Twenty-year-old Parag was dismissed for 18 off 16 balls during RR’s match against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Navi Mumbai on Thursday. Chasing 193, Rajasthan were held to 155 for nine.

Following the defeat, Manjrekar raised questions over Rajasthan’s decision to purchase Parag at the auction for ₹3.8 crore, pointing to his record in the previous two IPL seasons. Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, he said:

“Riyan Parag, in two full IPL seasons, and he averaged about 11. His strike rate was around 110. But, they went for him in this auction and bought him at a much higher price of ₹3.8 crore. There’s something that they have seen in him, which we haven’t seen in last three years. He’s young and I hope eventually we get to see why they keep going for Riyan Parag, with the kind of returns that he has given.”

The youngster has had a chance to bat four times so far this IPL season, registering scores of 12, five, eight and 18.

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“A guy you’ve got to keep backing” – Sanjay Manjrekar impressed with GT debutant Yash Dayal’s performance against RR

Shifting focus to Gujarat, Manjrekar said that he was hugely impressed by left-arm seamer Yash Dayal's performance in his debut IPL match. Dayal ended with figures of three for 40, picking up the scalps of Devdutt Padikkal, Rassie van der Dussen and Yuzvendra Chahal. Sharing his views on the 24-year-old, he said:

“What I have seen with Yash Dayal, forget about how many runs were scored against him, is that he can get the ball up there at pace. He’s got the bounce and he is also quick in the air when he bowls full. This is a guy you’ve got to keep backing because he has got some exciting fundamentals to build on."

Chipping in with his thoughts on the young GT pacer, Australian all-rounder Ben Cutting said:

“He was really nice to watch. He copped a bit of stick against Buttler early on, but it was good to see the way he bounced back. The way he pulled it back and stemmed the flow of runs was impressive.”

GT are currently top of the IPL 2022 table with eight points from five games. RR, meanwhile, dropped down to third spot with six points from five outings.