Xtra Time Web Desk: 22-year-old Dhruv Jurel almost won Wednesday night’s IPL 2023 game against Punjab Kings at the Barsapara stadium in Guwahati. The young wicket-keeper batter from Uttar Pradesh also became the first Impact Player to be making a debut in this IPL.
A big fan of MS Dhoni, AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli, Dhruv was roped in by Rajasthan Royals at the IPL 2022 auction but did not get a chance to play in the season. In his first opportunity in IPL against Punjab Kings on Wednesday night, Dhruv impressed everyone by scoring an unbeaten 32 runs off 15 balls and notching up a valuable partnership of 61 runs from 26 balls with Shimron Hetmyer.
Speaking about his background, Dhruv comes from a humble background. Like many youngsters Dhruv also had to struggle a lot before reaching at this stage. His journey so far is quite an inspiring one. Dhruv’s mother once had to sell her jewellery for buying a cricket kit for him. He was spotted from the summer camp in his school.
The right hander made his Twenty20 debut on January 10, 2021, for Uttar Pradesh in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Prior to his T20 debut, he was named as the vice-captain of India’s squad for the 2020 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
Dhruv first made headlines when he hammered 249 runs in a Ranji Trophy match against Nagaland in December 2022.
With an impressive debut in IPL 2023, Dhruv Jurel will be hoping to produce more stunning performances in whatever opportunity he gets.