IPL 2022: Shimron Hetmyer reveals why Rajasthan Royals are gunning for top two position

Rajasthan Royals batter Shimron Hetmyer has had a hectic last couple of weeks. He is back in the Royals bubble after a whirlwind trip to the Caribbean for the birth of his first child. Now out of quarantine after joining the team last week, Hetmyer will be available for the Royals’ last IPL 2022 league fixture against Chennai Super Kings at the Brabourne stadium on Friday (May 20).

The match is especially important for the Royals as a win over MS Dhoni’s side will help them finish in the second position on the IPL 2022 Points Table which would also mean that the side would get at least two opportunities to reach the final this season. Lucknow Super Giants are currently second on the Points Table, thanks to their 2-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday (May 18) but the Royals have a better NRR – 0.304 as compared 0.251 – and a win will assure them a 4th spot on the table.

Hetmyer, who has managed 291 runs in 11 games this season at an average of 72.75 and a strike-rate of 166.29, knows the importance of having ‘two bites of the cherry’. “Our focus is on winning the match against CSK on Friday. We have a better NRR than LSG and a win will be enough for us to finish ahead of them. It is always important to have two bites of the cherry and we’ll focus on winning one match at a time,” Hetmyer said during a pre-match media interaction on Thursday (May 19).

No secret formula. #RoyalsFamily | #HallaBol | #RRvCSK pic.twitter.com/MrYMRVCRKh — Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) May 19, 2022

Off the field, Hetmyer is bracing for plenty of ‘sleepless nights’ with a new-born child at home. “Everyone in the team is actually asking how much sleep have I got so far? They keep telling me that it is only going to get harder from here on,” the West Indies southpaw added.

Hetmyer, who was bought for Rs 8.5 crore by the Royals at the IPL 2022 mega auction earlier this year, flew back to Guyana for the birth of his baby boy days after leading RR to a win over Punjab Kings on May 8.

“There are a lot more video calls back home now that I back. I keep apologizing to my wife for all the sleepless nights and assure her that I will be back home soon to help out,” Hetmyer added.

Asked about the upcoming clash against CSK on Friday, Hetmyer said, “We have done well as a team so far. We love to set scores on the board and help our bowling attack defend it. It is a good to see the team gelling well as a family and we’ll look to continue the same in the upcoming matches.”