Punjabi cricketer Raghu Sharma made his Indian Premier League debut during the ‘El Clasico’ match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings on Saturday, May 2 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Ahead of the match, the 33-year-old was handed his first IPL cap by MI captain Hardik Pandya.
While Raghu made his debut, MI made one more change and brought in Krish Bhagat in place of Ashwani Kumar. However, Raghu was included in the Impact Player list. The five-time champions have struggled so far this season, languishing in ninth place in the standings with four points and a net rate of -0.784, having won just two of their eight games.
MI will also be eyeing a revenge after their previous encounter against Chennai Super Kings earlier in the tournament, where they suffered a 103-run defeat at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
WHO IS RAGHU SHARMA
A relatively lesser-known but ever-rising name in Indian domestic cricket, Raghu Sharma has carved his way through persistence, late recognition and consistent performances on the domestic circuit. Born in 1993 in Jalandhar, Punjab, Sharma is a right-handed off-spinner who also contributes as a right-handed lower-order batsman.
Sharma’s cricketing foundation was built in domestic cricket where he represented Punjab and later Puducherry across formats. He made his first-class debut during the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy season and gradually established himself as a reliable spinner. He was particularly impressive in red-ball cricket, picking up 57 wickets in 12 first-class matches, including five five-wicket hauls and three ten-wicket hauls.
In limited-overs cricket, Sharma gained further recognition during the 2024–25 Vijay Hazare Trophy where he took 14 wickets in just eight matches. In four T20 matches since his debut in 2021, Sharma has taken four wickets at an economy rate of eight.
His breakthrough moment came in 2025 when the Mumbai Indians signed him as a mid-season replacement for the injured Vignes Puthur. Interestingly, Sharma was earlier associated with the franchise as a bowler and was getting exposure to the top players and coaching staff. Although he did not feature in games that season, the franchise recognized his potential and retained him, signaling a long-term belief in his abilities.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
02 May 2026 19:30 IST
