Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) young all-rounder Rajvardhan Hangargekar will be under the spotlight when the defending champions begin their IPL 2022 campaign on March 26. MS Dhoni & Co will lock horns with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the tournament opener at the Wankhede Stadium.

Hangargekar impressed one and all with his all-round abilities in the recently concluded U19 World Cup. He shined with both bat and the ball as India clinched the title. His ability to click 140+kph  and hit towering sixes has grabbed eyeballs.

During one of the training session, Rajvardhan Hangargekar was spotted having a shot with MS Dhoni. The seasoned campaigner was seen imparting knowledge to the youngster.

Watch the clip here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPI6iNm8uGI&t=64s

In another video, Rajvardhan Hangargekar was seen meeting with the CSK players at the Lalbhai Contractor Stadium before taking part in bowling and batting drills under the watchful eyes of coaches.

The youngster then got in touch with Rajiv Kumar, a seasoned first-class cricketer and CSK’s current fielding coach. After some tips on lofted leg-side shots and pull shots, Hangargekar displayed his ability to clear the ropes against a variety of bowlers with a range of shots in the nets.

Watch the video here:

It will be interesting to see if the U19 World Cup winner manages to replicate his performance at the biggest league in the world.

With Deepak Chahar‘s participation in jeopardy, it is almost certain that Rajvardhan Hangargekar will start for CSK in the season opener against KKR. He can add firepower to the lower-order alongside MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo while sharing the new ball.

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