When Kartik Sharma reached his fifty against Mumbai Indians on Saturday, May 2, there was a visible release – a weight finally lifted from his shoulders. Bought for Rs. 14.2 million after being chased by five teams, expectations were sky high. But the returns didn’t live up to the hype. Just 58 runs from five matches is not what you expect from a big money signing.
CSK vs MI: MAIN | SCORECARD
Still, the leadership of Chennai Super Kings did not waver. They redoubled their faith in the youngster and handed him a role that required both poise and courage. Asked to walk in at No. 4 against Mumbai, he steadied the innings, and lead the chase alongside the captain.
The confidence was deeper – he was picked as an impressive player ahead of the more experienced Sarfaraz Khan.
What followed was neither fireworks nor a flash of lightning. Instead, it was something much more valuable – a composed, no-frills 54 from 40 balls that quietly did the job. Well, maybe not completely tasteless, given that a Dhoni-style celebration at the end.
But more importantly, it was the innings that introduced the world to the real Kartik – the player CSK has supported all along. And finally, this faith began to pay off.
“Today was a perfect platform for a difficult wicket where they knew the spinner would work in the middle and they wanted one Indian player to bat with Ruturaj and he came in and took that responsibility really well, so happy for him because he wasn’t getting runs and people are talking about him so much. Finally that confidence has paid off for CSK,” Piyush Chawla said after the match.
The praise did not end there. CSK head coach Stephen Fleming also praised the knock, calling it a reward for Karthik’s temperament through a tough start to the season.
“You have young players, there are two parts to it,” Fleming said. “One of them is how you introduce them. It’s a big stage regardless of what they’ve done at domestic level. So understanding their mentality is really important and it’s a big step forward. They may have all the talent in the world but temperament is what we’re looking for and his (Kartik’s) performance was tough at the start and then he had a bit of time. He worked hard for it and today was a good reward,” said Fleming.
Fleming made it clear that this is just the beginning of Kartik’s IPL journey and that the signs are promising.
“He’s a good player and he was expensive in the auction because other people can see that (value) and it was good to see the temperament and skill on show tonight and he’s only going to get better and better. So it’s a nice spot for him (No.4) and the timing was right. So we’re really pleased and proud of what he did today,” Fleming said.
THE DHONI EFFECT
On his IPL debut, Kartik was thrust into a phase of the game that looked more like Test cricket than T20. Batting at No. 6, he scored 18 off 15 balls against Rajasthan Royals and found himself out after low returns against Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
But Saturday against MI was different. It was a glimpse of his full range, especially against spin. He pounced on mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar and blasted him over midwicket for six before sealing CSK’s chase of 160 with a stunning reverse kick from Trent Bouult.
Such moments do not come without guidance. And there is no better mentor for Kartik than MS Dhoni.
Fleming stressed that learning from Dhoni – especially about handling pressure on the biggest stage – is invaluable for young players trying to find their feet in the IPL.
“The mental aspect is really important,” Fleming said. “You send players into an absolute cauldron like tonight with 35,000 to 50,000 to 100,000 people. The mental aspect of staying calm and understanding what the mind and body are doing is fairly underused in this competition. We had one of the best in the MS Dhoni, who was as calm as anyone when he learned that in winning games.”
“So we run a program for young players where we introduce them to certain mental skills and breathing and aspects that could help them perform. Because they’re very good at hitting balls into the net, but understanding the nerves and the anxiety and the fear of failure is also just as important, especially if you have a price tag on your head,” Fleming said.
Kartik is still far from a finished product, but this was the first real glimpse of what he has to offer – and it was refreshing.
As the season progresses and the stakes get higher, expect CSK to lean on him more. And if this innings is anything to go by, Kartik Sharma might just be warming up.
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– The end
Published on:
03 May 2026 10:45 IST
