DC vs MI: Why is Aryan Juyal keeping for Mumbai Indians despite not being in the playing XI?

The much-anticipated 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) got underway on Saturday (March 26). The second game of the season saw five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) locking horns with Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Brabourne Stadium. After being put in to bat first, Ishan Kishan starred for MI as he batted for the entire 20 overs, smashing an unbeaten 81 off 48 balls to propel his side to 177/5.

However, many were surprised to see him not come out on the field. Ishan is the designated wicketkeeper of MI, but instead of him, substitute player Aryan Juyal took up the job behind the stumps.

The reason Ishan Kishan didn’t take the field is that he has been taken for scans on his foot after he was hit by a delivery from Shardul Thakur. The incident took place in the 18th over of the innings when the bowler delivered a low full toss that hit the southpaw on the back pad. Kishan limped for a leg bye and also played some excellent strokes to end the innings on a high.

The commentators on air confirmed the news that Ishan Kishan has been taken for scans and MI will be hoping that the injury is not serious by any means. They have shelled out a whopping INR 15.25 crore, and after his performance in their opening game it only becomes imperative that he stays fit for the entire season.

Meanwhile, Aryan Juyal played for India at the U19 level. The 20-year-old was snapped by MI for his base price of INR 20 lakh. He has played 7 T20 matches in his career and this experience in the IPL will be valuable for him.

Kuldeep Yadav also shines for DC

Another player who was under the scanner for the game between DC and MI was Kuldeep Yadav. The chinaman bowler hadn’t played much in IPL or at the international level in recent times. But he bowled extremely well on his DC debut, nipping out the likes of Rohit Sharma, Anmolpreet Singh and Kieron Pollard.

Kuldeep returned with the magical figures of 3/18 in his four overs, stamping his authority on the opposition batters yet again, much like he used to do in his early days in the sport.