“He’s somebody we’re really excited about”: MS Dhoni explains why Rajvardhan Hangargekar didn’t play IPL 2022 matches for CSK

Rajvardhan Hangargekar: The uncapped Indian pacer warmed the bench for the whole of Indian Premier League 2022.

Odisha captain Subhranshu Senapati, Tamil Nadu batter Hari Nishaanth, Kerala pacer KM Asif, Maharashtra pacer Rajvardhan Hangargekar and Hyderabad spinner Bhagath Varma are the five players who warmed the bench throughout Indian Premier League 2022 for defending champions Chennai Super Kings.

In what will be remembered for one of their worst IPL seasons, it is only for the second time that CSK have failed to qualify for the playoffs. As a result, numerous players were handed debuts by the franchise but nothing changed their fortunes in real sense.

Hangargekar, in particular, was expected to be given a chance at some stage especially with the team losing more matches than winning. However, the Indian U-19 star wasn’t handed a debut in the biggest T20 tournament in the world.

MS Dhoni explains why Rajvardhan Hangargekar didn’t play IPL 2022 matches for CSK

Speaking during the toss of their last match against Rajasthan Royals at the Brabourne Stadium tonight, Dhoni explained why they opted to postpone Hangargekar’s IPL debut. Dhoni’s pointed out Hangargekar’s limited experience (five List A and two T20s) having it in it to limit his skills especially in pressure situations.

“He’s somebody who bowls good length and bowls at a decent pace, gets a bit of bounce but it is important to give them the time to improve in other areas as well,” Dhoni told Star Sports at the toss on Friday.

“You want to groom players but also give them enough opportunity to prepare and then get into the deeper side. He’s somebody we’re really excited about. He’s strong but there are certain areas we want him to improve.”

Readers must note that Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming had also talked on similar lines when asked about Hangargekar’s debut earlier this month. Barring Punjab Kings batter Raj Angad Bawa, no other latest India U-19 player has been able to make a debut this season.