“When RCB picked him at the auction, we were all wondering why” - Sanjay Manjrekar hails Dinesh Karthik for proving critics wrong in IPL 2022

Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar has admitted that there were some question marks when the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) purchased Dinesh Karthik for ₹5.5 crore at the IPL mega auction. He, however, conceded that the veteran keeper-batter has proved all critics wrong with his fantastic batting displays in the ongoing edition.

The 36-year-old has been one of the biggest success stories of IPL 2022. In six matches, he has smashed 197 runs at a strike rate of 209.57 and has been dismissed only once. In Bangalore's previous game against the Delhi Capitals (DC), he was the Player of the Match for his unbeaten 66 off 34 balls.

There will be high expectations of Karthik when Bangalore take on the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai in the 31st match of IPL 2022 on Tuesday, according to the IPL schedule.

Hailing Karthik for his stupendous performance while previewing the match on ESPNcricinfo, Manjrekar termed the veteran cricketer’s strike rate as the most impressive aspect of his game. He stated:

“When RCB picked him at the auction, we were all wondering why. It seemed like he was past his prime and he was out of the Indian team as well. He hadn’t done anything extraordinary for his previous franchise KKR too.”

According to the 56-year-old, a change in franchises and a clear mandate from RCB seem to have worked wonders for Karthik. The former cricketer elaborated:

“His role has changed since he joined Bangalore. Now, he has to come in at the death and play cameos that have a huge impact. The shots that he is playing now, he always had those, but we had only seen them in parts. But his consistency this season has been amazing. Now there is talk of his return to the Indian T20 team. This is the beauty of the IPL.”

Batting first against Delhi, RCB were in big trouble at 92 for five. However, Karthik and Shahbaz Ahmed (32* off 21) added an unbroken 97 for the sixth wicket to lift the IPL team's total to 189.

Click here to view the orange cap in IPL 2022.

---

“He is a game-changer like Umran Malik” - Sanjay Manjrekar on RCB pacer Mohammed Siraj

Sharing his views on RCB’s bowling, Manjrekar urged the franchise to keep backing Mohammed Siraj, though he may be a touch expensive at times. According to the 56-year-old, Siraj has the ability to make a game-changing impact. Manjrekar said:

“Mohammed Siraj might be expensive sometimes, but in the last game he dismissed Pant and Shaw. He often picks up the big wickets, though his economy may be high at times. He is a game-changer like Umran Malik for SRH.”

He also described Josh Hazlewood and Harshal Patel as bankable bowlers while praising captain Faf du Plessis for utilizing his resources smartly. Manjrekar concluded:

“Josh Hazlewood and Harshal Patel are RCB’s safe deposits. They bowl well whenever called upon. Wanindu Hasaranga has been expensive recently, but he has the variations to fight back. Credit to Faf du Plessis too for handling the bowling attack very well.”

Siraj claimed two for 31 in Bangalore’s previous IPL 2022 match against DC while Hazlewood finished with excellent figures of three for 28.

RCB are currently fourth in the IPL standings with eight points from six games.