IPL 2022: Who is Anuj Rawat? - The RCB opener who has impressed so far

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) opener Anuj Rawat played a gem of a knock against the five-time champions Mumbai Indians on Saturday (April 9) and was adjudged player of the match for scoring 66 off 47 balls, helping his side to win the contest easily. To note, he was picked by the Red Army during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction for a huge amount of INR 3.4 crore.

Anuj Rawat is an attacking wicketkeeper-batter who hails from Uttarakhand. The left-handed batter moved to Delhi in his early days to give a shot at professional cricket. The 22-year old originally hails from Ramnagar, a town in Nainital district. Anuj Rawat was born and brought up there.  Rawat’s father is a farmer and his mother is a housewife.

At a very young age, the batter told his parents that he wanted to opt for cricket as a profession. After some discussions, his father decided to send him to Delhi, owing to the lack of cricket facilities and academies in Ramnagar.

Rawat made his Ranji debut in October 2017

Anuj Rawat made his Ranji Trophy debut for Delhi, in October 2017. Since then, the left-handed batter has been a consistent performer in the domestic circuit. He scored half-centuries in his first two Ranji Trophy matches and scored his first hundred in December 2018 against Madhya Pradesh when his side was reeling at 36/5 at one stage. Rawat’s counter-attacking 134 off 183 balls ensured that Delhi secured a massive lead and eventually won the game by nine wickets.

The southpaw has been impressive in white-ball cricket as well. In the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Anuj Rawat got everyone’s attention, after he smashed 15 fours and ten sixes in just five innings. Not only that, he averaged 58.33 at a strike rate of 108.69 during the 2021-22 Vijay Hazare Trophy.