IPL 2020: Adam Zampa keen to set ‘example’ for RCB in death overs

Adam Zampa, at his base price of INR 1.5 crores, went unsold in the 2020 auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, lady luck smiled on Zampa after Kane Richardson backed out from the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and the spinner was roped in as his replacement. The 28-year-old is now excited to bowl alongside the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal.

Chahal, without much doubt, has been Virat Kohli and RCB’s go-to-bowler in crisis, having picked up 100 IPL wickets. Apart from sharing the spin-attack with him, Zampa also wants to set an ‘example’ for RCB, taking responsibility in the death overs. The final four and five overs of an innings have troubled the Challengers quite a bit, highlighting their issue of death-bowling.

Chahal’s going to be good to work with: Adam Zampa

“I’ve got a really good opportunity coming to the IPL, where hopefully I can bowl with Chahal at RCB. I might get the opportunity to bowl those later overs, in case the team might be struggling for example,” Zampa was quoted as saying in a video on ESPNcricinfo.

Zampa reckons that he and Chahal have “similar trades” and he’s also looking forward to learn from skipper Virat and South Africa’s AB de Villiers.

“Chahal’s going to be good to work with. We have similar trades but we can also learn from each other as well. Then there are the obvious ones – players like Virat and AB de Villiers. Just by watching them, the way they train and go about it, watching them bat, it’s pretty exciting,” he added.

Zampa hasn’t played a whole lot of matches in the IPL after making his debut back in the 2016 edition. In 11 matches, he has 19 wickets at an economy rate of 7.55. Back then, he played for the Rising Pune Supergiant under MS Dhoni and Steve Smith’s leadership.

Zampa still holds the record for the best-figures by a spinner in the cash-rich and prestigious T20 league. He achieved the feat against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2016 at Visakhapatnam where he finished with a spell of 6/19, helping Pune to a victory by four runs.