Shimron Hetmyer rejoins RR, to be available for next IPL 2022 game against CSK: Reports

In a major boost to the Rajasthan Royals (RR), star batter Shimron Hetmyer has rejoined the camp and will be available for their next fixture against Chennai Super Kings on Friday, May 20.

Hetmyer rushed home last week to be with his wife, who was due to give birth to their first child. A couple of days later, the West Indian announced on social media that they had been blessed with a baby boy.

A report in ESPNCricinfo states that Shimron Hetmyer has already joined the Royals camp in Mumbai and is currently in mandatory isolation. The southpaw will join the rest of the squad ahead of the IPL team's last league game.

Hetmyer, who was acquired by RR for ₹8.5 crore at the mega auction earlier this year, has justified his billing with significant contributions in the middle order. He has scored 291 runs in 11 matches at an average of 72.50 and has remained unbeaten on seven occasions.

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Shimron Hetmyer to skip West Indies' Pakistan and Netherlands tour

The 25-year-old cricketer from Guyana, however, has decided to give the Pakistan and West Indies series a miss due to the birth of his first child. Hetmyer communicated the decision to the chairman of the West Indies selection panel, Desmond Haynes.

Addressing the press, Haynes said:

"We got the email from Hetty saying that he is unavailable for selection because of the birth of his child. That is all the information we received so we acted that way; we had considered him for selection and the note stated he was unavailable."

The 66-year-old former cricketer also stated that Hetmyer still remains an integral part of West Indies' limited-overs set-up, given that he achieves the minimum fitness levels.

He has featured in 42 ODIs and 47 T20I matches, scoring 2113 runs combined, including five centuries.