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Sam Billings
Sam Billings has clarified that the upcoming 14th edition of IPL could help him prepare for the T20 World Cup. Delhi Capitals bought Sam Billings for ₹ 2ccrores at the IPL 2021 mini-auction. The 29-year-old, who is presently in India as part of England's T20I squad, has been picked by the Capitals as Rishabh Pant's back up. Even though the Englishman agreed that he might get limited chances in IPL 2021, he is eager to utilize the time in India to prepare for the T20 World Cup. The mega event is going to take place in India later this year.
The Delhi based franchise went in with just two overseas batsmen last year. South African pacers Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje occupied two slots, whereas Marcus Stoinis served as the all-rounder. Shimron Hetmyer completed the last overseas spot, with Alex Carey getting a few opportunities as well.
Considering Rishabh Pant is a crucial player of the DC team, Sam Billings is not anticipated to receive many opportunities in IPL 2021. The 29-year-old will have to compete with Shimron Hetmyer and Steve Smith for a spot in the Delhi Capitals starting line-up.
Keen to face Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel in nets: Sam Billings
A vital attribute of Sam Billings' batting has been his capability to play spin well. During his period with CSK, Billings didn't look out of place while dealing with the turning tracks in Chepauk. His dot ball percentage of 26.7% in the middle overs is the lowest among any other T20 batsman since 2016. During the recently-concluded Test series, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel tortured the English batsmen, with the visitors eventually losing 3-1.
Sam Billings accepted that the possibility of facing Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin in the nets could help him for the forthcoming T20 World Cup. Sam Billings has been a part of the Indian Premier League for four seasons. The wicket-keeper batsman has featured in 22 matches, scoring 334 runs at a strike rate of 133.60.
The IPL Governing Council declared the schedule for the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League. The mega event is likely to be held in India across six venues from April 9. Mumbai Indians will play their first match against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai. Runners-up Delhi Capitals will play against Chennai Super Kings on April 10 in Mumbai.