Who is Monu Kumar? Chennai fast bowler makes belated Dream11 IPL debut after 2 years

MS Dhoni-led Chennai's journey in the Dream11 IPL 2020 came to an end despite beating Bangalore on Sunday. Their journey ended after Rajasthan beat Mumbai in the second match of the day on Sunday. This is the first time in the history of the IPL that Chennai has failed to qualify for the playoffs. 

Also read MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli Share Light Moment On The Field; Fans Go Berserk On Social Media

The Dream11 IPL 2020 saw Chennai giving opportunities to the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad and N Jagadeesan. On Sunday, another squad player from the Chennai team made his debut in this year's edition. After being part of the Yellow Army for two years, Monu Kumar got his chance to play in the lucrative tournament. The Ranchi cricketer bowled only 2 overs versus Bangalore, giving away 20 runs but failed to pick up any wicket.

Also read: IPL 2020: Chennai Become First Team To Be Officially Knocked Out Of Race For Qualifiers

Who is Monu Kumar?

Speaking about Monu Kumar, the right-arm medium pace bowler was bought by Chennai for ₹20 lakh. The 25-year-old has represented Jharkhand in 22 T20s. He has represented Bihar and the U-19 Indian cricket teams. Coming to his bowling stats in T20Is, Monu Kumar has picked up 25 wickets in 23 domestic T20I matches with an economy rate of 6.97.

Also read: Sakshi Dhoni Wins Chennai Fans' Hearts With Special Instagram Post For MS Dhoni And Co.

Monu Kumar has earlier played in the UAE as a part of India U-19 team that played in the 2014 U-19 World Cup. He featured alongside the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson and Kuldeep Yadav. In the 2014 edition of U-19 World Cup, Monu Kumar finished with four wickets in three matches. He also featured in India's loss against England in the quarter-finals that year.

Also read: Dream11 IPL 2020 Updated Points Table: Punjab Aim To Topple Kolkata For Fourth Place

The medium-pacer picked up 12 wickets from eight matches while playing for Jharkhand in the 2018 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy's following which he bagged a Dream11 IPL contract with Chennai. Monu Kumar also has 11 dismissals to his name in 10 List-A outings, but he is yet to make his first-class debut. His best bowling figures in the T20 format is four wickets for 14 runs.

Chennai Dream11 IPL schedule

Even though the MS Dhoni-led side still has two matches to be played, the three-time IPL champions will look to end their Dream11 IPL 2020 campaign on a high following a very disappointing campaign. Winning the last two matches gives them a chance to avoid being at the bottom of the Dream11 IPL points table for the very first time. Chennai will now take on Kolkata in Match 49 of the Dream11 IPL 2020 on Thursday, October 29 in Dubai.

Image: IPL T20 / Instagram