Look forward to picking Sangakkara's brains during IPL 2022: Hetmyer

West Indies batter Shimron Hetmyer says he cannot wait to get his Indian Premier League (IPL) journey started with Rajasthan Royals (RR) as he looks forward to picking the brains of director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara.

RR secured the services of Shimron Hetmyer for INR 8.5 crore in the IPL 2022 auction. "It's very exciting to play under someone like Kumar Sangakkara," Hetmyer said in a release issued by the franchise.

"A legend of the game, I've heard some amazing things about him and can't wait to get his brains on certain aspects of my game, that can help become better not just in the white-ball format but also in the longer version of the game with the red ball.

"I'm really excited to get going for the Royals. I've heard some really nice things about the franchise from my good friend Evin Lewis, and I can't wait to get going and just enjoy myself as part of the squad."

The southpaw also does not think there is any pressure on him due to the heavy price tag. "There's no pressure of the price tag on me, it's a challenge to help the Royals when I'm out there. The price tag does not really matter to me, it's the runs I score that help contribute to the team's cause that matter," he said.

"I'm ready for any role the team needs me to perform. It's imperative to do well as a player in the squad. And at my end, as I've always believed, is to just give myself that chance to be out there and the performance will come, no matter what the situation of the game is."

Playing for his third franchise in the tournament, Hetmyer was candid in talking about his IPL journey thus far. "My first season in the IPL at RCB was a challenging one, for a young player, and being the only West Indian in the squad was a tough one to start off in franchise cricket," said the West Indian.

"IPL, in general, has been a wonderful learning experience that has taught me to look at myself and my game differently and has enabled me to learn and develop the right processes."

The 2016 U-19 World Cup-winning captain also shared his initial experiences in the IPL. "I think it was 2018, I had a chance to go to a camp with the Royals in Mumbai and that was one of my first interactions with an IPL team. It felt like a great atmosphere back then, met some really thoughtful cricketing people and was again glad to see some of them still with the squad this season as well," he said.

"It was fantastic being around an IPL set-up such as the Royals, and how they would approach and work towards things. I felt it was an insightful experience and something that I've carried with myself ever since."

(With inputs from PTI)