Swapnil Singh became a sensation in IPL 2024 after he rattled Sunrisers Hyderabad by batting and bowling both. RCB took a big decision to select him as an Impact player in the match against SRH after losing 6 consecutive matches in this season of IPL and it turned out to be one of the best decisions by Royal Challengers Bangalore. Who is this Swapnil Singh? Let’s know more about him in this article.
Many fans were surprised when Swapnil came into the field in the match against SRH as they were unaware of his skills and capabilities. Swapnil, who came to bat with 7 balls remaining scored 12 runs in 6 balls and played a crucial role to take RCB’s score beyond 200.
Swapnil, who bowls left-arm spin, created a real blast with the ball. He came with the fifth over of the innings and was welcomed by Aiden Markram with a four. But, he was out LBW on the very next ball. Markram, who had already decided to play a big shot by going ahead on the full toss ball, completely missed the ball and was found in front of the stumps.
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The next ball was a no ball and Nitish Reddy got a gift of a free hit. He smashed a six on this free hit ball. On the fifth ball, Heinrich Klaasen hit a 91-meter six over long on, but on the next ball, Swapnil pulled back the length and Klaasen was caught out while trying to repeat the same shot. Swapnil had given a big advantage to RCB by taking two big wickets for 19 runs in the first over itself.
Swapnil, who hails from Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, had a great start in the RCB jersey, but his cricketing career has been full of ups and downs. Swapnil had submitted his claim for a place in the Under-19 World Cup team held in 2008, but was not successful. At the age of just 15, he made his first-class debut for Baroda in 2006. He also made his T20 debut in 2007 and List-A debut in 2008. He was also a part of Mumbai Indians in the first season of IPL in 2008, but he did not get a chance to play any match.
Swapnil made his IPL debut in 2016
While playing for Baroda in the 2014–15 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Swapnil took six wickets while conceding only 19 runs in four overs against Saurashtra. This is the second best performance by a bowler in this tournament. After this, Kings XI Punjab signed him for the 2016 IPL season for a price of Rs 10 lakh. In the same season, while making his debut against Kolkata Knight Riders, he conceded 29 runs in three overs without taking any wicket. While batting, he became the victim of Andre Russell on the very first ball.
Swapnil Singh also got a chance to play four matches for Punjab in the 2017 season, but in these he could only manage to take one wicket. After this he was released and in 2023 he returned to IPL again as a part of Lucknow Super Giants. However, even for LSG, he could not take any wicket in two matches and was released. Last season, he was also a part of Tamil Nadu Premier League as a professional player. In TNPL, Swapnil scored 150 runs in eight matches at an average of 25 and a strike-rate of around 132. Apart from this, he also took five wickets in 24 overs while spending runs at an economy of only 6.79.
Swapnil’s performance in domestic cricket has been excellent
After debuting in 2006, Swapnil Singh played for Baroda till 2020 and then in 2021 he started playing for Uttarakhand. In 76 first-class matches played so far, he has scored 2727 runs which includes two centuries and five half-centuries. Apart from this, he has also taken 181 wickets which included taking five or more wickets in an innings nine times. Apart from scoring 1153 runs in 63 List-A matches, he has also taken 67 wickets. In 76 T20 matches, he has taken 65 wickets and also scored 861 runs. His economy in T-20 has been 7.13 and he has also scored two half-centuries.
