IPL 2023: Rajasthan Royals name Sandeep Sharma as injured Prasidh Krishna's replacement

Punjab seamer Sandeep Sharma was named as Prasidh Krishna's replacement in the Rajasthan Royals squad for the IPL 2023, announced the Jaipur-based franchise on Monday. Prasidh was earlier ruled out of the tournament due to a stress fracture on his back that led to subsequent surgery.

It was a lucky break for Sandeep, who has 114 wickets from 104 IPL games at an economy rate of 7.77, as he went unsold at the auction. The main reason behind him being ignored at the auction is believed to be his lack of pace as he swings the ball between a friendly pace of 120 to 125 clicks.

"Fast bowler Sandeep Sharma will represent Rajasthan Royals this season after being signed as a replacement for Prasidh Krishna. Picked for his base price of INR 50 lakh, Sandeep is one of the most senior bowlers in the tournament with over 100 wickets and 10 seasons of experience under his belt," a media release by RR stated.

Prasidh, who last played for India in August 2022 during India's tour of Zimbabwe, has been undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. Back in February, news agency PTI reported that the former Kolkata Knight Riders pacer will take at least six months to recover.

"Prasidh has a stress fracture and in case of this particular form of injury, you cannot put a date on a prospective comeback," a BCCI official told the agency. "Every player has a different body type and recovery process and time would be different. It could be anything between six months to one year. In the case of Prasidh, he is still not fit enough to return to play and it is unfortunate that he missed the entire domestic season."

The injury forced the 26-year-old cricketer to miss the entire domestic season for Karnataka earlier and was an integral part of the Rajasthan Royals' squad, who reached IPL finals last season. Prasidh took 19 wickets in 17 games during the tournament at an economy rate of 8.29.

With inputs from PTI