#For the second game in a row, Punjab’s Ravi Bishnoi was benched as Murugan Ashwin found a place in the squad. The two leg-spinners have been a part of the Punjab Kings since 2020.
Being nurtured in the Anil Kumble academy, a leg-spinner from the Punjab team carries more pressure than any other from the seven other franchises. However, Ravi Bishnoi has not been picked in the playing 11 in the 2021 season so far. Ashwin on the other hand gave away 43 runs and picked no wicket in the Punjab’s first game versus Rajasthan Royals.
Here is a statistical comparison between the two:
Murugan Ashwin shot to fame in 2016, when he was bought by the Rising Pune Supergiants for Rs 4.5 crore. He captured seven wickets in 10 games at an economy rate of 8.45 that year. The next season he was roped in by Delhi Daredevils, where the leg-spinner didn’t get a match. Ashwin’s 2018 stint with RCB also saw him benched all season. He was finally bought by Kings XI Punjab in 2019 after a decent Vijay Hazare show. Ashwin bowled for 10 matches and picked 5 wickets in 2019. He finished the 2020 season with 10 wickets in nine games.
The 2020 season saw the emergence of Ravi Bishnoi. The leg-break bowler who ended as the highest wicket-taker in the U-19 World Cup earlier last year with 17 wickets, made his IPL debut in the 2020 season. The 21-year-old picked 12 wickets in 14 games at an economy rate of 7.37. His victims included the likes of David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Rishabh Pant, Aaron Finch and Eoin Morgan.
However, Ravi Bishnoi is yet to feature in the playing 11 in the 2021 season.
