15.5 Crore is a too much of an amount. The number will be etched forever in the memory of South Africa’s Chris Morris who got paid that amount for his services by Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2021. No one in history of multi-million dollar league got paid that handsomely ever. So when he got that money there was always pressure on him to justify that price tag. But till the game against KKR (which happened last night), Morris was by far in his ‘blow-hot-blow-cold’ mode. Here is a list of his performance so far.
vs PBKS 2/41, 2* RR Lose
vs DC 1/27, 36* RR Win
vs CSK 0, 2/33 RR Lose
vs RCB 10, 38/0 RR Lose
vs KKR 4/23, DNB RR Win
IPL 2021 Full Coverage | IPL 2021 Schedule | IPL 2021 Points Tally
Except his 36 off 18 against DC, his other performances were largely inconsistent. South Africa’s very own Kevin Pietersen was prompt in his reply. “This is going to sound harsh, but he (Morris) went for a lot more money than I would have ever paid for, to be completely honest,” Pietersen said on Star Sports’ Select Dugout Live Feed.“I just don’t think that he’s worth that kind of number. I think there’s pressure on him. He’s not a first choice for the South African side. So, I think we’re expecting too much,” he added.
ALSO READ – IPL 2021: You’re Setting the Bar for Others – Sunil Gavaskar on Virat Kohli’s Record
But finally with his figures of 4/23, Morris has announced himself in the tournament. If his performance against KKR is to be taken note of, he is getting in his zone as the tournament gets into the business end after the initial fortnight. Coming back to his Wankhede performance one could see the change in his body language. Firstly, he was a live wire on the field as he found KKR skipper Eoin Morgan short of crease. Then came the battle with Andre Russell. Russell had hit him for a six but to comeback the very next delivery and having him caught at long on shows how much of a street-smart cricketer Morris is. Then he removed Dinesh Karthik just when KKR were looking to cut loose. As a result RR restricted KKR to just 133 on a pitch like Wankhede. The 33-year-old’s importance in this team can’t be overlooked. The numbers in the auction and the numbers listed in this copy shows how RR minus Morris is something which the team owners don’t want to imagine, as of now.
Get all the IPL news and Cricket Score here