IPL 2024: Who is Vidwath Kaverappa? - Everything You Need to Know About Punjab Kings' pace sensation

Punjab Kings (PBKS) made a couple of changes to their line-up for their crucial match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Thursday (May 9). One of the major changes was dropping premier pacer Kagiso Rabada for Liam Livingstone and bolstering their pace attack with the inclusion of young uncapped Indian player Vidwath Kaverappa.

The 25-year-old right-arm-seam bowler from Karnataka was given the new ball to open the attack and it didn't take long for him to impress everyone. He started with two dot balls and almost claimed the wicket of elite batter Virat Kohli in the very next delivery. Kohli came down the track to hit it for a maximum, but a mistimed shot resulted in a difficult chance for Ashutosh Sharma.

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However, he came back in the third over and took the big wicket of skipper Faf du Plessis to gift himself a dream start to his IPL journey. Had it not been for Kohli's luck tonight, Kaverappa would have bagged his second wicket in the same over. Captain Sam Curran decided to continue the attack with Kaverappa.

Although Kohli welcomed him with a six in the fifth over, he got rid of dangerous Will Jacks on the fourth ball. Rajat Patidar almost fell prey to Kaverappa's intimidating pace-bowling but Harshal Patel dropped a sitter at the deep backward square to deny PBKS from taking a huge lead in the game.

Another promising talent for Team India on the horizon

Vidwath Kaverappa is one of the finest seamers in the Indian domestic circuit. Known for his wicket-taking ability, the Karnataka pacer has scalped 23 wickets from 13 innings in the T20s. He is more of a red-ball bowler and has taken 34 wickets at an average of 21.67 in 10 first-class matches.

Notably, he was the second-highest wicket-taker for Karnataka in the 2022-23 Ranji season. His stellar performances in the Karnataka Premier League caught the attention of the Punjab Kings franchise, which resulted in him getting his maiden IPL contract. The pace sensation was acquired for Rs 20 lakh during the 2023 IPL auction.

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His ability to bowl with good length and accuracy causes trouble for the batters. With a mega auction coming up next year, there will be many franchises to keep an eye on this young talent. However, these are shining examples of Indian cricket being in safe hands.