Even though Punjab Kings (PBKS) are lying at the brink of elimination in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, there have been a few shining stars for them. Be it Prabhsimran Singh or Atharva Taide, Punjab have unearthed a few gems.
These cricketers can go on to serve Punjab Kings for a long time and can well end the trophy drought of Punjab in the coming years. Notably, Punjab Kings have never won an IPL title and have only reached the finals on one occasion; in 2014 where they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Atharva Taide has grabbed the opportunities with both hands in IPL 2023 and has produced some remarkable performances. In the game versus Delhi Capitals (DC), Taide scored 55 runs in 42 balls and his knock was packed with 5 fours and 2 sixes.
More so, he retired out for the team’s sake and let Jitesh Sharma who has a reputation for power-hitting come into the crease. This highlighted his selflessness and proved that he is a team-man.
Who is Atharva Taide?
Born on 26th April 2000, Atharva Taide hails from Akola in Maharashtra. He is a left-handed batter and an occasional left-arm orthodox bowler. Taide had made his List A debut for the Vidarbha side in the 2018-19 Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Since then, he has been a regular performer for Vidarbha and was instrumental in them winning the Irani Cup title in 2019. In the previous Ranji Trophy season, Atharva Taide mustered 499 runs in 7 games and had a good average of 45.36. This included 1 hundred and 3 fifties.
“Impact players will be very crucial for the young players like us, who are looking to make a mark. The rule also suggests that you can substitute an Indian player and not a foreigner, so that increases the chance of getting an exposure in the team. Also, having a 12th player gives you more opportunity,” Atharva Taide had told Sportstar ahead of IPL 2023.
Atharva Taide had once scored 320 runs for Vidarbha in the Cooch Behar Trophy finals against Madhya Pradesh in 2018. He was 18 years of age that time. Taide also equalled the score of the legendary Yuvraj Singh with that stellar knock.
Atharva Taide’s performance in IPL 2023
In the ongoing IPL 2023, Atharva has amassed 167 runs at a strike-rate of 142.74. Punjab play Rajasthan Royals (RR) on 19th May 2023 in their last league stage encounter and Taide would be hoping to end the season on a high.
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