Rassie van der Dussen looking forward to an exciting maiden IPL gig

Rassie van der Dussen is looking forward to imprint his name the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The 33-year-old was one of 10 SA players sold during the IPL auction at the weekend, with the Rajasthan Royals forking out R2m for the Proteas top six batter.

He was chuffed with the opportunity and the faith shown in him by the team that won the inaugural IPL in 2008.

“It feels very good,” Van der Dussen said from Christchurch in New Zeland, where he is with the Proteas team for a two-match Test series which starts at Hagley Oval on Thursday.

The former Hoerskool Menlopark star is among veterans who have dominated the SA domestic circuit over the past few seasons, and many l say his international debut in 2018 came too late.

“It has been a long road for me to get there and so it feels good to be acknowledged.”

Prasidh Krishna and Shimron Hetmyer were the Royals’ biggest buy as the Jaipur franchise retained Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

All the above players are world class top order batters, and Van der Dussen knows he will have to do the hard yards to break into the starting eleven.

“It is another opportunity to go out there and do what I can do. I’m looking forward to it.”

The Pretoria-born cricketer said he has been keeping a close eye on the Royals from the days when former Proteas captain Graeme Smith won the inaugural title with the team.

“It is a team I have always followed and I am honoured to represent a prestigious world franchise like this with world class players.

“It’s an exciting prospect for me and has been a long time coming.”

Van der Dussen has evolved as a Twenty20 player and has played in the Caribbean Premier League and Pakistan Super League, including in the United Arab Emirates during last year’s World Cup.

“Playing in different conditions for the past few years has been challenging but I think I have adapted well.

“It’s key for a T20 batter to be adaptable and have a particular set of skills in all areas to call on whenever it is needed.”