Hardik Pandya, skipper of the Mumbai Indians, is in the mood to try out all the resources that he has up his sleeve. In that effort, he introduced Raghu Sharma as the newest debutant for the five-time champions at the toss on May 2 (Saturday), ahead of the reverse-leg fixture of IPL’s “El Clasico” against the Chennai Super Kings.
A Punjab that lives in Mumbai Indians
Raghu, a leg-spinner, was mentioned as playing alongside Krish Bhagat. Bhagat is a Punjab player, but so is Raghu Sharma. And whom did Bhagat replace? Ashwani Kumar, another Punjab player. And who was Raghu replacing as a leg-spin option? Mayank Markande—another Punjab player.
Add to that Naman Dhir, who is almost a permanent member of the playing XI, and Raj Angad Bawa, who represents Chandigarh in domestic cricket, and you have a “mini Punjab” in the Mumbai Indians side.
Who is Raghu Sharma?
Now that we know that Raghu Sharma is a Punjab-born leg-spinner, it is interesting to note that he is nearly 34 years old and comes with a wealth of experience bowling in T20 cricket.
Unable to break through the Punjab ranks at first, Raghu took the southern route and went to Puducherry. He played T20s in their domestic league, representing the Villianur Mohit Kings, and eventually earned a spot in the Puducherry squad.
Having made his First-Class debut way back in 2017, he made his List-A and T20 debuts in 2021 for the Union Territory side.
Raghu Sharma played in Sri Lanka
Raghu, by the way, has also played cricket in Sri Lanka, representing the Galle Cricket Club in the 2022-23 Sri Lankan First-Class Cricket season. In just six matches, he took an incredible 46 wickets.
That eventually brought him back to the Punjab side again, and since then, he has been a regular feature in Punjab’s List-A side. As of May 2, he has appeared in 12 First-Class, 12 List-A, and 4 T20 matches, taking a combined total of 79 wickets.