Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag has compared Prabhsimran Singh to Sam Curran, bought out by the Punjab Kings (PBKS) for INR 18.5 crores. Prabhsimran’s first IPL century against the Delhi Capitals on Saturday, May 13, prompted Sehwag’s comments.
Prabhsimran scored his first IPL century at the Arun Jaitely Stadium, scoring 103 runs out of PBKS’ match-winning total of 167. With a boundary through the backwards region in the 18th over of the innings, the 22-year-old surpassed the coveted three-figure milestone.
Sehwag told Cricbuzz that Prabhsimran was offering the Kings more value for money and questioned what Curran has done, saying:
“He showed that he can hit those centuries. Again, he was bought for INR 60 lakh, and if a player fetching that much scores hundreds and wins you a couple of games, there can be nothing better than that. You bought Sam Curran for 18.5 crores, what has he done?”
Curran, who became the most expensive player in IPL auction history, has only seven wickets at 58.14 in 12 games. The southpaw has scored 216 runs at an average of 24 with a strike rate of 129.34
“Punjab Kings have benefitted from the chances that they’ve given to Prabhsimran” – Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag said that Prabhsimran Singh benefited from moving to the Punjab Kings at a lower cost than in the past. He elaborated:
““Punjab Kings have benefitted from the chances that they’ve given to Prabhsimran. Now, he has to be consistent. And I think the PBKS will benefit a lot from such a player. When he came for the first time, he was bought for a lot of money (INR 4.8 crore). This time around, he fetched quite less (INR 60 lakh). But he proved his talent today.”
After scoring 167, Punjab restricted the Delhi Capitals to 136-8 in 20 overs, with off-spinner Harpreet Brar taking four wickets. Both Nathan Ellis and Rahul Chahar finished with two wickets.