IPL 2022 | Rahul Tripathi ready to bat anywhere at Sunrisers Hyderabad

At INR 60 lakhs per edition, Tripathi enjoyed his last two IPL seasons with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by batting as an opener, as a middle-order batter, as well as a finisher. He aggregated 397 runs in IPL 2021 at a strike rate of 140, the second-highest among his former teammates behind Shubman Gill (478). Now, Tripathi wants to improvise his flexibility of batting anywhere even more to reach new heights. 

“I find this unique quality in me that if the management wants me to bat up the order, I am okay with it. And if they want me to bat in the middle order, I am comfortable. Because now I have the experience. In KKR, I batted at both positions, so I am very comfortable. Now I know how to execute my plans at both positions”, he told The Indian Express.

“The mindset is important here. While opening the batting there is a different challenge. It is about scoring quick runs in the Powerplay. The middle order is a bit different. The openers have set it up so you maintain the momentum and finish the innings.” 

Tripathi also thanked Abhishek Nayar and Brendon McCullum for their constant support at KKR camp. “I was fortunate that I was able to work with the likes of Abhishek Nayar and then Brendon McCullum. Nayar helped me in understanding my game. The two years with KKR were very special”.

SRH will be Tripathi’s fourth IPL franchise. He first played for Rising Pune Supergiant (RPSG) in 2017 under M.S. Dhoni, and joined Rajasthan Royals (RR) next year before moving to KKR in 2020.