Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) handed 23-year-old Saurav Chauhan his IPL debut tonight as they lock horns against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Jaipur. He replaces Anuj Rawat in the RCB playing XI. RCB haven't had the best of starts to their season, managing just a solitary win in the four games played so far. 

Chauhan is the latest cricketer RCB has shown faith in and given the big opportunity. The son of a groundsman in Ahmedabad, Saurav was picked up at last December's auction in Dubai by RCB at his base price of INR 20 lakh.

Speaking at the coin toss, RCB skipper Du Plessis said, “Not many people know him (Saurav Chauhan), he has some serious amount of skill and batting power, looks like a nice and calm guy,” 

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Meet Saurav Chauhan: RCB's surprise pick against Rajasthan Royals

A left-handed top-order batter from Gujarat, Chauhan boasts of an excellent batting record in the 13 List A and 19 T20 matches played so far. In T20s, Saurav has amassed 464 runs at 29 Avg and 152.13 SR, including 4 fifties.

He was one of Gujarat's best performers in the SMAT20 2023-24 tournament, amassing 251 runs at 35.85 Avg and 184.55 SR.

Saurav also made the record for the fastest fifty in the same SMAT20 season off just 13 balls, but PBKS sensation Ashutosh Sharma broke it the very next day, scoring a fifty off only 12 balls.

He is an occasional wicketkeeper as well and is rated quite highly for his hard-hitting skills.

It remains to be seen if RCB gives him a chance of batting in the top 4 tonight instead of pushing him down the order, like they have been doing with youngsters all these years.

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