IPL 2018: Washington Sundar is excited to play with Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers

Sundar had shared IPL dressing room with MS Dhoni and Steve Smith last year.

Washington Sundar | GETTY

Washington Sundar was picked by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for 3.3 crores at the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. The all-rounder, who is famous for his spin bowling, had played for Rising Puner Supergiant in his debut IPL season in 2017.

Sundar is excited to be a part of RCB dressing room. He is a big fan of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. “I am delighted to have been picked up by RCB. I am a big fan of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. It will be a priceless experience to play with them after having played alongside MS Dhoni for (Rising) Pune Supergiant last year,” Washington told PTI during an interaction.

At this young age, Washington Sundar is keen to learn new things playing alongside with ace cricketers. “Having played with MSD in last year’s IPL and imbibed a lot of good things and now I feel it will be a blessing to be in Kohli’s team. I can learn a lot by watching them from close quarters,” Washington, whose base price was Rs 1.5 crore, added.

He is working on improving himself to make most of the upcoming opportunities. “My aim is to keep improving and perform to the best of my ability in every opportunity I get,” he added.

Washinton's father M Sundar is happy for his son. More than the money, it's the opportunity to play in a major league is what his father is looking forward to.

“I can’t express my happiness in words. It is a great opportunity for him. He will be part of a good team with a lot of big names to boot. He can learn a lot,” he added.

“Last year, he was bought for his base price (by RPS). But he got recognized for his performances and earned a national call-up,” the senior Sundar said.

He said IPL is a good tournament to help budding cricketers. “I believe IPL is the No.1 tournament in the world. It is a huge platform for youngsters and has helped my son. To be able to play alongside some of the biggest names in the game at a young age is a big boost to any cricketer,” he said.

Tamil Nadu’s limited-overs captain Vijay Shankar was sold to Delhi Daredevils for Rs 3.2 crore (base price Rs 40 lakh), was also a happy man.

“I had no expectations. I am very happy that Daredevils showed faith in my abilities and picked me,” he said. “All I want to do is to give my best for the team and keep learning. I learnt a lot during last year’s IPL and was able to get better. Hope to improve with the new side,” Shankar said.

“Had a terrific few years @IPL down South @ChennaiIPL @SunRisers & would like to thank everyone for the support & some great memories!! Now I embark on a new journey as I head to the Capital #NewDelhi, super excited to be part of @DelhiDaredevils #DilDilli #IPLAuction #IPL2018,” he tweeted.

Another Tamil Nadu cricketer T Natarajan was roped by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Rs 40 lakh. He was extremely happy to be chosen by SRH after having been out of the game due to an elbow injury for a while.

“I had no expectations and was hoping I would get picked because I did not play in the Ranji Trophy or the national T20 tournament. So I am really happy,” he said.

The left-arm pacer also said he was recovering after undergoing a surgery on his bowling arm and hoped to play the forthcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy that begins here early next month.

“I have been working hard on my comeback. I hope to be ready to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy,” he added.
 

 
 

By Sihyeu Singh - 29 Jan, 2018

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