RR was willing to pay more for Hetmyer, franchise will work on his fitness – CEO

By Brandon Corlette

Rajasthan Royals (RR) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jake McCrum described Guyanese Shimron Hetmyer as a match winner who can bat at number five or six and win games in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The Berbician Hetmyer was picked up for 8.5 crore, which is equivalent to US$1,132,000 by the Royals.

“We were willing to go a little bit more for him. He bats in that five/six role, and he is capable of winning IPL matches. We are delighted to get him on board and we probably got the two bargains of the auction in Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravi Ashwin, so we are delighted; we built a really, really strong side,” the Royals CEO said.
Hetmyer, who last played for West Indies in November 2021 and was the leading run-scorer for the West Indies at the 2021 T20 World Cup, has had his fitness issues. Those issues have kept him out of the West Indies side, but the 25-year-old has shown improvements in fitness assessments conducted in Guyana.
When asked if the Royals are concerned about Hetmyer’s fitness issues, the Royals CEO said:
“We did speak to a number of people over there (in the Caribbean) working with Shimron. I think he was playing a game couple of days ago, so we got some more background around those fitness areas to get him in great shape. We have the Barbados Royals over there (in the Caribbean), so we can get a net workout there, so we can work with that, so he can get the best possible shape for this season, and yes, we are looking forward to having him.”
In the 2021 IPL, Hetmyer played for Delhi Capitals, the team that were involved in a bidding war with RR for him in the 2022 auction. The left-hander is currently playing in Trinidad for the Guyana Harpy Eagles in Cricket West Indies Regional Four-Day Championships.