When Avesh Khan was bought by Lucknow Super Giants for an eye-watering amount of Rs 10 crore in the IPL 2022 Mega Auctions, many called it a giant mistake. A team spending Rs 10 crore on an uncapped domestic cricketer had never happened before in the history of IPL but Avesh was ready to prove his worth for the newest franchise in town. On Monday, his 4 wickets for 24 runs showed glimpses of why he is considered the next big thing in Indian cricket which boasts of a world-class fast bowling attack.
4 wickets from 4 overs including 2 in the 18th over helped Lucknow edge past Sunrisers Hyderabad but not many noticed the number of dot balls bowled by the 25-year-old from Indore. 15 dot deliveries in a T20 format are considered gold dust and Avesh proved once again why he is a superstar in the making but it wasn't easy.
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Avesh in the post-match press conference said, "In IPL as a bowler, you are always under pressure. Its important how you handle pressure. I never assumed that I was the leader of the pack as I always aim to contribute by picking wickets. If I think that I'm the strike bowler then I will put myself under pressure. (Today) After getting hit for a six, my plan was to just bowl yorkers because I had to complete the over with 5 more good deliveries. I focused on my execution and I got 2 wickets in 2 deliveries which helped the team get back in the game".
After picking up the Purple cap for the most wickets in an IPL season last year with Delhi Capitals, Avesh was a hot property in this year's mega auction. Lucknow splurged on the superstar in the making and now the 25-year-old is giving good returns on the Rs 10 crore investment.
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Disclaimer: Editorji is part of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group