Virat Kohli childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma tips DPL to produce more players for IPL, India

New Delhi Tigers head coach Rajkumar Sharma believes the Delhi Premier League (DPL) can become a major pathway for young cricketers to break into the IPL and eventually the Indian team, despite his side's early exit from the 2026 edition.

The Tigers suffered a five-wicket defeat against South Delhi Superstarz at the Arun Jaitley Stadium after posting 168/9. However, Sharma remains confident that the tournament's role in developing talent will only grow.

"DPL will make a massive contribution. Last year, players like Ayush Badoni and Priyansh Arya made it to the IPL. I am sure this platform provided by the DDCA will be immensely beneficial, and in the future, we will provide even more players to the IPL and the Indian national team," he said.

Sharma, renowned for shaping the early career of Virat Kohli, also identified several Tigers players with the potential to progress to the highest level.

"If we talk about T20 cricket, Manish Sehrawat performed really well. Himmat Singh is a good player, and Hrithik Shokeen is also a solid performer. These players have already established themselves. They are the ones who will continue to work hard in the future. We also have Under-19 boys in our squad who need to learn, but with time, they will grow and become match winners," Sharma stated.

The coach admitted that losing strike bowler Prince proved costly, leaving the Tigers short of experience.

"First of all, missing Prince was a massive setback for us. He was our strike bowler and an India player whom we expected to lead our bowling attack. Unfortunately, he got unfit and was unavailable for the entire tournament. Having only two marquee players Himmat Singh and Prince losing one left us with significant shortcomings," he explained.

Sharma has already set his sights on a stronger comeback next season.

"We have a lot of introspection to do. A lot has been planned, and we need to execute it well by starting our preparations early. The boys remain confident that we will bounce back next season," Sharma added.