Has India found its next Jasprit Bumrah? IPL fans go gaga over youngster in CSK vs GT game

IPL 2023: In the opening game of the 16th edition of the Indian Premier league that was played at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, young fast bowler Rajvardhan Hangargekar made his debut for MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings against Gujarat Titans. Hangargekar had been benched for the entire IPL season the previous year, but with Mukesh Choudhary ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury, CSK decided to give the 20-year-old his much-awaited chance.

Although CSK lost to the Titans by 5 wickets in a last-over thriller, Hangargekar impressed with the ball, taking 3 wickets for 36 runs in his 4 overs. He dismissed Wriddhiman Saha, Sai Sudharshan, and Vijay Shankar, helping CSK to keep the game alive and stretch it until the last over in their defense of 179 runs on a good batting pitch.

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Hangargekar's IPL debut had been eagerly anticipated by fans, who had been following his progress since he played a key role in India's Under-19 World Cup win in 2022. CSK bought him for a huge sum of Rs. 1.5 crore in the IPL 2022 mega-auction and his high pace had been well-known.

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However, what surprised fans were his slightly altered bowling action, which he had modified since the Under-19 World Cup. This change improved his bowling while maintaining his pace. In fact, Hangargekar clocked 142 KPH in his first over, which resulted in the dismissal of Saha.

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Fans quickly noticed that Hangargekar's bowling action at the end was similar to that of Jasprit Bumrah. Despite Bumrah's current injury, Indian fans were excited by Hangargekar's debut in the IPL and some even suggested that the 20-year-old could soon be a part of the Indian team due to his pace and hit-the-deck bowling ability.

Image: Twitter