IPL 2022: "Really Grateful For The Opportunity You Guys Have Given" - Odean Smith After Getting Picked By Punjab Kings

West Indies all-rounder Odean Smith’s dream of playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) came true when the Punjab Kings (PBKS) side bid successfully for him in the ongoing IPL 2022 auction and got him for a hefty price of INR 6 crores.

When Odean Smith’s name came up for the bid in the auction, Kings faced stiff war from Lucknow Super Giants, Rajasthan Royals, and Sunrisers Hyderabad, with the three franchises doing their best to outbid one another.

The 25-year-old from Jamaica is a well-built strong hard-hitting batter and a fast bowler, who can hit speeds of high 140 kph as well, in the mold of Andre Russell. He had a good T20I series against England at home and showed his skills in the recent ODI series against India also, where he replaced captain Kieron Pollard in the playing XI.

Hopefully, This Year We Will Hold The Trophy: Odean Smith Tells PBKS Fans

Smith was quite impressive in the second ODI he played against India, as he picked up the big wicket of Virat Kohli by setting him up nicely and finished with figures of 2 for 29 in 7 overs. And then smacked a 20-ball 24 with two sixes and flexed his big muscles in the process. He continued his good run in the third ODI as well where he scored an 18 ball 36, in which he hit three huge maximums and three fours as well.

The 25-year-old has had some good outings in the T20 format since 2017 and has a strike rate of 130. He has been a wicket-taker with the ball with 36 wickets in 33 games in the format and was one of the shining stars in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL 2021), which got him noticed by the IPL franchises.

The Punjab Kings (PBKS) shared a video of Odean Smith speaking to the fans and saying: “Hi Punjab Family, Odean Smith here. Really grateful for the opportunity you guys have given to me. Really hoping to join you guys soon. And hopefully, this year we will hold the trophy.”

The big Jamaican ? is here! ?

Listen in to what he has to say on joining #SaddaPunjab ?#IPLAuction #PunjabKings #TATAIPLAuction pic.twitter.com/1G17IW5jUg

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) February 13, 2022

On the second day of the IPL 2022 auction, PBKS spent big money to get England all-rounder, Liam Livingstone, for whom they splurged INR 11.50 crores.

Also Read: Struggling To Put Things Into Context – Stuart Broad After Being Ignored For West Indies Test Series