IPL 2021: 3 facts about RCB's new recruit Akash Deep

Hailing from a humble background in Bihar, Akash Deep moved to Durgapur, a town in West Bengal in 2010 to find a job. However, with support from his uncle, Akash Deep enrolled in a local academy where he soon grabbed attention.

The youngster was met with back-to-back tragedies and had to spend some time away from the game. He returned to cricket three years later and moved to Kolkata where he was spotted by former cricketer Ranadeb Bose.

He was fast-tracked to the Bengal side, a move that paid dividends immediately. Akash Deep was one of the chief architects as Bengal reached the finals of the Ranji Trophy in 2019 before losing to Saurashtra.

A couple of seasons later, Akash Deep finds himself in the mix for some of the cricketing behemoths after being named as Washington Sundar's replacement for the remainder of IPL 2021 in the UAE.

Announcing the news in a press release, RCB said:

“Akash Deep, a state cricketer from Bengal and net bowler with the franchise has been named as replacement. The move reiterates the focus RCB has on grooming and nurturing young players as the team continues to develop exceptional talents and create a pathway for young talents to find their way into IPL and Indian Cricket."

As the 24-year-old Akash Deep takes a giant leap in his cricketing journey, let's take a look at three unknown facts about the pace-bowling all-rounder.

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#1. A chat with Mohammed Shami turned things around for Akash Deep early in his career

Akash Deep lacked direction and was wayward when he first landed in Kolkata to make a career in cricket. However, a quick chat with Team India fast bowler Mohammed Shami, who was in Kolkata during that time, gave the youngster the required perspective. It completely changed his career.

Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, the all-rounder revealed:

"He spoke to me about his issues with fitness, what he did to improve, how he came back from injuries. That chat gave me a perspective," Akash Deep says. "I used to bowl mid-130s, but after following his advice, I worked on my fitness and I realised slowly I could bowl long spells without being tired," he added.

Since his T20 debut in 2019, Akash Deep has scalped 21 wickets at 16.35 with the best figures of 4/35 against Hyderabad earlier this year in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He was also the second-highest wicket-taker for his state with seven wickets from five matches in the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

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#2. An able batsman in the lower-order

Besides his strong reputation as a bowler, Akash Deep is very handy with the bat in the lower-order. He can bat according to the situation and also has the ability to play the long handle.

The cricketer, who hails from Bihar, has a half-century in the U-23 domestic tournament for Bengal while he has the highest score of 44 in domestic cricket against a potent Karnataka bowling attack.

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#3 Akash Deep was a net bowler for RCB in IPL 2021

Akash Deep, who finished with 35 wickets in the 2019 Ranji Trophy, was one of the net bowlers from Royal Challengers Bangalore for the first half of IPL 2021.

He has previously been a net bowler for the Rajasthan Royals during IPL 2020 in the UAE and has also bowled in the Kolkata Knight Riders' nets at Eden Gardens.

He will look to use his experience of bowling against some of the best in the business at the nets if an opportunity comes his way in the UAE leg of IPL 2021.