Who is Dhruv Jurel? Find out all you need to know about India’s newest wicketkeeper

Dhruv Jurel is a young starlet playing for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, having made his debut on April 5, 2023, as an Impact Player against the Punjab Kings. Read on to find out all you need to know about the young player. 

Who is Dhruv Jurel? 

Jurel joined the Royals for INR 20 lakh in the IPL 2022 mega-auction. The right-handed batter didn’t play a single match in his debut, but was able to make a regular appearance last season onwards. He played eleven games over the course of the campaign, and scored 152 runs overall, with a highest score of 34 runs. 

Jurel is the son of Nem Singh, a Havaldar in the Indian Army who served during the Kargil War. His mother also had to go through a lot of hardships when he was an up and coming cricketer, going as far as to sell her jewellery to buy him a cricket kit. 

There was a time when Nem wanted his son to crack the National Defence Academy (NDA) exam and serve the country as a soldier. Jurel Sr, a Kargil war veteran, wanted Dhruv to carry forward the legacy but the youngster was too enamoured by cricket to follow in his father’s footsteps. No one in the family has played cricket, and getting a stable job has been the big goal.

But the youngster has now defied the odds to make it to the Indian national team, with a bright career ahead. 

How much is Dhruv Jurel’s IPL salary? 

Before he made his debut, Dhruv Jurel was paid INR 20 lakh, but now that he has made his Test debut and has also played regularly last season, his salary will be increased to INR 50 lakh, a significant jump from what he was earning last season. 

Test Debut 

With the management not impressed by KS Bharat’s performance as the wicket keeper batsman in the team, Jurel was called upon to replace him. And it now remains to be seen whether he can make the most of the opportunity he has been given in the Rajkot test, with the series now tied at 1-1.