Rajasthan Royals pick Heinrich Klaasen as a replacement for Steve Smith

New Delhi, April 2: Rajasthan Royals have named South African wicket-keeper batsman Heinrich Klaasen as the replacement for Steve Smith in their squad for the 2018 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The step comes days after BCCI blocked Steve Smith from playing IPL over the ball-tampering row. Rajasthan to start their 2018 IPL campaign against Hyderabad on 9 April.

 

In a statement released by Rajasthan Royals said, “The South African T20 batsman joins the Royals squad bringing an exciting mix of interesting abilities to the table. Heinrich is known for his quick hands and his ability to play in the middle of the innings.”

Zubin Bharucha, Head of Cricket of Rajasthan Royals said, “The way Klaasen played Indian spinners Yuzuvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav in the limited-overs series early in the year played some role in their decision along with his hard-hitting ability.”

“We are delighted to have Klaasen onboard. His hard-hitting ability with plenty of options again spin makes him dangerous through the middle of an innings. What struck us about Klaasen other than his ability to strike a ball was his inherent hunger to make every opportunity count, this is a good space to be in as a cricketer and batsman. We look forward to working with Klaasen to ensure he has a great career in the IPL” Bharucha added.

Meanwhile, Warner has since been replaced at Sunrisers Hyderabad by England opening batsman Alex Hales. Klaasen, the 26-year-old right-hand batsman, made his one-day international debut against India in February and has played four ODIs and three Twenty20 Internationals. He has an impressive T20 strike rate of 146.28 with 1043 runs from 49 matches at an average of 35.96.

Batting in the middle order for South Africa, Klaasen played key knocks in the series against India, scoring 43* in the only ODI South Africa won and 69 in 30 balls in the only T20I they won in what was a disappointing series for the team on the whole. Klaasen, who had gone unsold at IPL auction earlier this year, has been bought at his base price of Rs 50 lakh.

BACKGROUND:

On March 24, Australian player Cameron Bancroft and skipper Steve Smith admitted tampering of a ball during the third day of the third Test against South Africa. Steve Smith said, "We made a poor choice. We deeply regret our actions. Coaches weren't involved. It was purely the players in the leadership group.” "I can promise you it won't happen again. It's the first time this has happened,” he added.

During the play a ball was thrown to Cameron Bancroft, television footage showed Bancroft take an object out of his pocket before rubbing the ball, then putting something back in his pocket. After footage of the incident was broadcast, a message appeared to be sent out to him on the field. He put the tape down the front of his trousers before being spoken to by on-field umpires Nigel Llong and Richard Illingworth.

However, at that time he turned out his pockets, revealing only a black cloth. The field umpires did not change the ball. Later, Steve Smith stepped down from his position of the captain of the Rajasthan Royals team. David Warner also stepped down from his position of the captain of the Sunrisers Hyderabad.