Brijesh Sharma made his IPL debut on Monday after being named in Rajasthan Royals’ playing eleven for their match against Chennai Super Kings.Rajasthan Royals picked up the Jammu and Kashmir pacer in the IPL 2026 auction for his base price of Rs 30 lakh. At that time, he did not play senior cricket in any format, but his performances in the 2025 Bengal Pro T20 League brought him into the limelight.
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Greenstone Lobo predicts IPL 2026 winner Sharma, a right-arm medium bowler, finished fifth on the wicket-taking list in that tournament, taking 11 wickets in seven matches for Smashers Malda.
From J&K to RR via Bengal
His journey to professional cricket has seen several challenges. He grew up in the Dandial area as the son of a laborer and faced financial problems while pursuing the sport. He started by representing Jammu and Kashmir at the under-19 and under-25 levels.To improve his game, he later moved to Delhi where he trained under Deepak Punia at Unique Sports Club. The shift helped him develop better control and prepare for higher levels of competition.His performance in the Bengal Pro T20 League in 2025 played a key role in his rise. He was among the leading wicket-takers when he played at the Eden Gardens and showed his ability in both the Powerplay and the final overs, finishing with 11 wickets in seven matches.This run led to his selection by Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2026. Brijesh Sharma’s impact goes beyond his stats; He has become a symbol of hope for budding cricketers from Jammu and Kashmir, following in the footsteps of regional icons like Umran Malik and Auqib Nabi these days.In this match, Rajasthan Royals won the toss and chose to play Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League opener here on Monday.Royals have beaten CSK four times in their last five matches. Both teams struggled in the 2025 season.CSK are without the charismatic MS Dhoni, who has been out for at least two weeks with a calf injury.Follow live updatesTeams:Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Sanju Samson (wk), Ayush Mhatre, Matt Short, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Matt Henry, Anshul Kamboj and Khaleel Ahmed.Rajasthan Royals: Riyan Parag (C), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi and Brijesh Sharma.
