Ahead of the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Avesh Khan was traded from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to Rajasthan Royals (RR), and Devdutt Padikkal was traded from RR to LSG.
Avesh has taken 55 IPL wickets in his 47 IPL matches thus far. The IP said in a statement that the right-arm pacer, who joined LSG in 2022 and played in 22 games while taking 26 wickets, was dealt to RR for his current salary.
Devdutt Padikkal, meanwhile, will head to LSG from RR for his existing fee. With a record of 57 IPL games played, the left-handed hitter has amassed 1521 runs thanks to 109 half-centuries. He became a member of RR in 2022 and played for the team in up to 28 games, scoring 637 runs, it was stated.
Welcoming the pacer to the franchise, Royals' Director of Cricket, Kumar Sangakkara said, "Avesh has proved his mettle in recent years to be one of the top Indian pacers in the country. He has the ability to both swing and seam the ball, and is an effective asset at both the start of the innings and towards the end. He has a lot of variations in his armour which will be extremely valuable in the different conditions that we play in across the country. He will prove to be a valuable addition to our pace bowling department and we are looking forward to having him contribute to the team's successes."
Thanking Devdutt Padikkal for his services to the franchise, Sangakkara added, "We all admire Dev (Devdutt Padikkal) immensely for the commitment and passion he's shown over the past two seasons with us, and for the significant contribution he's made to the franchise. His energy is loved all round the team and we will certainly miss having him around the group. It was a very difficult decision to let him go given the immense talent and potential that he has, and all of us at the Royals would like to thank him for his services to the franchise. We wish him the very best for this next chapter, and hope for him to always continue to shine."
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