Opener Anuj Rawat led Royal Challengers Bangalore’s charge as they inflicted a seven-wicket loss on five-time champions Mumbai Indians on Saturday, leaving Rohit Sharma and Co with four straight losses in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.
Chasing a target of 152, Rawat fired RCB to a win with nine balls to spare as he smashed six sixes en route to his quick-fire 66 off 47.
“Feels great. Scoring runs and winning. Very happy to be doing this. Was just following my process. I was starting well, wasn’t able to finish well, did it today (talking about earlier failures). Happy and enjoying the company of Virat and Faf,” Rawat said at the post-match press conference.
It was the 22-year-old’s maiden IPL fifty as he begins to repay the faith posed in him by the Bangalore Franchise. RCB had paid a whopping Rs 3.4 crore in the 2022 mega auctions for the cricketer.
Who is Anuj Rawat?
An attacking left-handed batter who is known for his six-hitting abilities, Rawat, is also a wicket-keeper. The cricketer hails from Ram Nagar in Uttarakhand but moved to Delhi to pursue a full-time cricketing career.
He plays First-Class cricket for Delhi and made his Ranji debut in October 2017 against Assam. Batting from No 7, Rawat smashed 71 on debut. Overall, he has played 22 First-Class matches, scoring 954 runs at an average of 30.77. He has two centuries to his name. In 20 List A matches, Rawat has amassed 573 runs at an average of 44.07 including five half-centuries.
In the 2021-22 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the domestic T20 competition, Rawat scored 167 runs in five matches with a strike rate of 128.46. While his SR was not the most impressive, his boundary count was significantly higher than his teammates. He managed 15 fours and 10 sixes in just five matches. In the 2012-22 Vijaya Hazare Trophy, the domestic one-day competition, he scored 175 runs at an average of 58.33 and SR of 108.69 — the highest among Delhi batters.
A natural opener, Rawat, has been batting in the middle-order for Delhi in domestic cricket.
IPL journey
Rawat was first bought in the auction in 2020 when Rajasthan Royals shelled out Rs 80 lakh for his services. His debut however only came last year and in his only outing with the bat in 2021, he got out on a first-ball duck against Kolkata Knight Riders.
This season he has already played four matches, scoring 113 runs at an SR of 120-21.
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