Kotian replaces Zampa at Rajasthan; Gujarat bring in Sharath to replace Minz

Rajasthan has roped in spin bowling all rounder Tanush Kotian as replacement for Adam Zampa, while Karnataka wicketkeeper batter BR Sharath to replace the injured Robin Minz for Ind T20 League 2024. 

Zampa was retained by Rajasthan ahead of the bidding war in December but withdrew citing personal reasons. He had a packed schedule leading in the Ind T20 League 2024 as he was part of the Aus T20 League as well as Australia’s limited overs leg against India, West Indies and New Zealand since the conclusion of the ODI World Series in India last year. 

Kotian was on several Ind T20 League franchises’ radar ahead of the 2023 auction. But since his name was in Indian Cricket Board’s list of Suspect Bowling action, no franchise took the gamble of signing him. He is now coming off a remarkable Ranji Trophy, where he amassed 502 runs, second most for Mumbai, along with 29 scalps. He also registered a century batting at No.10 in the competition. 

In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Kotian claimed nine wickets at an economy of 5.58 in eight matches. He played a pivotal role in the final of the tournament against Himachal Pradesh in November 2022, smashing a six to clinch the title for Mumbai after picking up three wickets. 

Rajasthan head Ind T20 League 2024 with only seven foreign players in their roster. 

Gujarat had bought Minz, the uncapped wk-batter from Jharkhand, for a whopping INR 3.6 crore but was later ruled out after suffering a bike accident. Sharath played a few handy knocks with the bat in the lower-middle order and concluded the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with a strike rate in excess of 185. 

Both Kotian and Sharath joined their respective franchises at a base price of INR 20 Lakh.