IPL 2019: Manan Vohra thanks Rajasthan Royals, his third franchise, for picking him

Hard-hitting batsman Manan Vohra made his third franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) when he was picked by former champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the auction of IPL 2019 held in Jaipur on December 18. He had earlier played for Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) with the latter releasing him in November after just one season.

The 25-year-old has been playing in the IPL since 2013 and just one game short of 50, the Punjab basher has gathered 1,012 runs at a strike rate of 131.77. He has three half-centuries in the T20 carnival with the highest score of 95 in the 2017 edition.

Vohra was picked at his base price of Rs 20 lakh by the RR on Tuesday and the batsman was ecstatic and he thanked the franchise for taking him on board in the last minute. He vowed to give his best for the franchise which he called “amazing” in his tweet.

Really very grateful to @rajasthanroyals for taking me in the squad at the very last moment and showing that trust. I will make sure to give my everything to this amazing franchise. Very happy to be a part of it.

— Manan Vohra (@ImMananVohra) December 18, 2018

Glad to have you with us! Can't wait to see those swashbuckling shots all over the ground! 😁

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) December 18, 2018

Vohra, from Royal to Royals

The Royals acknowledged Vohra’s tweet which was liked over 1.5k times and said they were eager to see his “swashbuckling” shots hit all over the park. Vohra, who averages over 31 in first-class cricket with the highest score of 224 in 28 matches, also possesses a strike rate of127 above in the 86 T20 games he has played since making debut in IPL 2013. He has 11 half-centuries in all in T20 cricket.

Though having a lower base price, Vohra’s experience in the IPL could prove handy for the Royals, particularly when it comes to his flexibility to bat at any position. In 2018, he played only four games for the RCB, scoring 55 runs with the highest score of 45.

The Royals also picked up one of the two most expensive players of this auction – Jaydev Unadkat (Rs 8.4 crore) in a renewed bid for winning their second title after 2008 when spin wizard Shane Warne had led them to the glory.

They came back after serving two years of suspension in 2018 and also saw their captaincy going to Ajinkya Rahane after Steve Smith got banned. The side ended up fourth in the tournament, losing to Kolkata Knight Riders in the eliminator.

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