Dasun Shanaka, the captain of Sri Lanka, is currently dominating T20 international matches. In the second T20I against the hosts, he amassed a storming 56 from 22 balls and claimed two wickets to win Player of the Match. Prior to the third and final T20I on Saturday, the visitors were able to tie the series thanks to his all-around effort.
Even though all-rounders were in high demand and players like Sam Curran, Cameron Green, and Ben Stokes broke the bank with their exorbitant bids during the IPL 2023 auction in December, Shanaka (base price: Rs 50 lakh) went unsold. He is presently the player with the most runs scored in the T20I series against India, despite the fact that there were no buyers for him in the T20 spectacular. The 31-year-old has scored 101 runs in two games at an astounding strike rate of 206.12. He currently holds the fourth-highest position among series wicket-takers with two wickets under his belt.
Gautam Gambhir, a former cricketer for India, thought about the chances Shanaka would have in the IPL auction if it took place right now. He claimed during a Star Sports interview that if the ongoing IND-SL series had taken place during the auctions, the Sri Lanka all-rounder would have brought in a lot of cash.
He would be quite expensive given the way he has batted, and I won’t have any money. That is the main focus of the auction. If this series had occurred immediately before the auction, some of the franchises likely wouldn’t have had the funds to purchase him, Gambir stated.
In the meantime, Sri Lanka under Shanaka will look to win the series when they take on India in the decisive game on Saturday.What do you think of the player? Comment below.
