He had a brilliant performance in the Maharaja T20 Trophy earlier this year.
A Gujarat Titans (GT) player is thinking of returning to his home stadium, the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, ahead of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The player didn’t get many opportunities in the three-year cycle, although he impressed at times each time he got the chance to play.
GT’s tough batsman Abhinav Manohar plays for Karnataka and recently had a brilliant performance in the Maharaja Trophy T20. However, if the Titans opt to release him before the next season, Manohar wants to play for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the upcoming edition.
In an interview with Wisden, Manohar expressed this wish and showed his regret for not playing in the team every time GT played in Bengaluru in previous seasons. He also underlined the fun dynamics of IPL auctions and stated that he wants to be in a team with playing opportunities.
“Being a Bengaluru boy, it would be good to play for RCB. In the last few years, we (GT) have played in Bangalore, but I haven’t had the opportunity to play, and I really wish I had played, because I think I know this wicket quite well, and it is a batting pitch. track, and it would be any batsman’s dream to play in Bangalore in the IPL because hitting six-hitters is very easy, the ground is quite small. I feel like it would be great to play for your local team too. Let’s see. I mean, the dynamics of the auctions are very fun and you don’t know which team you’re going to go to. So I just hope I can go to a team I can play for, that’s all.”
Gujarat Titans can retain Abhinav Manohar as an uncapped player
If Titans want, they can keep Abhinav Manohar as an unlimited player by spending just INR 4 crore before the auction. He is among the best pacers in the domestic circuit and recently impressed in the Maharaja T20 Trophy, a local league in Karnataka.
He was the second highest run-scorer of the tournament, scoring 550 runs at an average of 78.57 and a massive strike rate of 194.35 in 11 innings. Furthermore, he also scored six fifties, the most in the competition.
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Manohar will be in high demand if he enters the auction due to his superior skills and ability to pick up the pace at will. Additionally, he can be flexible with his batting position and bat anywhere in the middle order.
GT did not use him wisely in the opportunities he was given; they placed him in the lower order and used him as a finisher, which might not be the best way to get the best out of him. If he is retained, GT should make sure to promote him in numbers.
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