IPL 2021: South African Pacer Joins Rajasthan Royals As A Replacement For Liam Livingstone

Rajasthan Royals, on Saturday have signed South African fast bowler Gerald Coetzee as a replacement for England’s Liam Livingstone for the remainder of the VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.

Notably, Liam Livingstone has left the squad earlier this month with the main reason being bubble fatigue. Well, in a time of a pandemic, the bubble environment has made life more difficult for the players. The issues with bio bubbles have been seen with various players at the international and domestic level so far.

Talking about Liam, the English batsman has spent much of the last ten months moving in and out of bio-secure bubbles. And as the IPL is being conducted in a country like India, the BCCI has tightened the screws when the matter comes to the safety of the players. The right-handed batsman has been a proven performer for the Perth Scorchers as he was one of the main contributors to the team.

Who is Gerald Coetzee?

Gerald Coetzee is a South African cricketer. He made his List A debut for Free State in the 2018–19 CSA Provincial One-Day Challenge on 14 October 2018. Prior to his List A debut, he was named in South Africa’s squad for the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. In January 2019, he was named in the South Africa national under-19 cricket team’s squad, ahead of their tour to India.

Notably, Coetzee has played eight T20 matches so far and has taken nine wickets at an average of 23.33 in the format. And as aforementioned, he has represented his country in two under-19 World Cups and hence would be carrying enough bowling experience with him.

Rajasthan Royals’ Performance in IPL 2021

The Rajasthan Royals have won just two out of their six games and are currently placed at the second last spot in the points table after facing various personnel concerns.

Despite Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer being ruled out, the Royals have shown courage and determination under the leadership of Sanju Samson, who seems to have finally struck a chord with consistency. Their next VIVO IPL 2021 encounter is against the Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on May 2.