'Let's celebrate together soon' - Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Riyan Parag invites Tabraiz Shamsi for 'unique celebrations'

On Wednesday (August 25), IPL team Rajasthan Royals announced their signing of South African leg-spinner and currently ranked No. 1 T20I bowler Tabraiz Shamsi as a replacement for Australian pacer Andrew Tye for the second leg of the tournament, scheduled to begin from September 19 in the UAE.

Reacting cheekily to the new addition, Assam and RR all-rounder Riyan Parag, who is known for his famous ‘selfie’ celebration, invited Shamsi to join him in his unique celebration. “DM to collab. Let’s celebrate together soon, @shamsi90,” wrote Parag in a tweet.

Notably, Shamsi, who himself is a renowned celebrator, with his shoe celebrations now well-known across the globe, was quick to respond: “For sure bro. I believe u have a few things to teach me when it comes to celebrations.”

Shamsi, who has 45 wickets in 39 T20Is, has previously been a part of the IPL in 2016, when he represented RCB and bagged four wickets in three games. In his 163-match T20 career, he has 183 wickets at 22.42.

RR to miss key players

The Royals are set to miss the services of Jofra Archer, who is ruled out of action owing to his recurring elbow issues, while wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler, who is expecting the birth of his second child, will also be missing from their ranks. England all-rounder Ben Stokes, who has been constantly troubled by his finger injury and also announced an indefinite break from cricket to focus on his mental health, remains an unlikely participant.

Notably, Stokes spent a considerable time in bio-secure environments with England’s limited-overs players in the year gone by. Pacer Tye, who pulled out of the UAE leg of the IPL, had similar concerns as he wanted to spend time with his family, “It is with great regret that I have to pull out of the remainder of the IPL 2021 with the Rajasthan Royals,” Tye said in a statement. “It has been a long year for me which has kept me away from home for a lengthy period, and the disappointment of not making it to the World Cup squad has added to the dismay.

Royals have roped in New Zealand batter Glen Phillips as a replacement for Buttler, while other members of their overseas contingent include David Miller, Chris Morris, Liam Livingstone and Mustafizur Rahman.