CSK vs MI: Who is Raghu Sharma? MI debutant against CSK who once lost 35 kgs, learned from Shane Warne Bowling Video

Raghu Sharma, the 33-year-old right-arm leg-spinner from Jalandhar, Punjab, is finally set to make his long-awaited IPL debut for Mumbai Indians in the 2026 season.

After years of domestic grind, rejections, and globe-trotting for opportunities, the disciplined wrist-spinner with traditional flight and sharp googlies has earned his shot with the five-time champions.

Who is Raghu Sharma?

Born on March 11, 1993, into a family of doctors and engineers, Sharma’s path to cricket was anything but conventional. He only took the sport seriously at the age of 18, after India’s 2011 ODI World Cup victory inspired him to swap his electrical engineering studies for a cricket bat and ball.

Overweight at 102kg, he shed 30-35kg through intense training, starting as a pace bowler before a hamstring injury led him to leg-spin. Self-taught via Shane Warne YouTube videos, he mastered grips, the wrong’un, flipper, and slider. A transformative session with Imran Tahir in England further refined his variations and action for better speed control.

Sharma made his first-class debut for Punjab in the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy. Early promise came quickly - including a seven-wicket haul in his second match, but selection woes followed. Dropped after limited games and told at 25 he was “too old” for Punjab’s squad, he moved to Puducherry for more chances, debuting in T20s in 2021 and List A soon after.

Undeterred, he played club cricket in Galle, Sri Lanka (46 wickets at 15.71 in six first-class games in 2022, with multiple five-wicket hauls) and Stoke-on-Trent, England (43 wickets in 21 games). He also draws strength from spirituality, embracing Vaishnavism after visits to Vrindavan and Puri’s Jagannath temple, which helped him navigate rejections with remarkable calm.

Raghu Sharma Domestic Stats

His domestic numbers highlight his potency in limited opportunities: 57 wickets in 12 first-class matches at an average of around 19.59–22, including a career-best 7/56, five five-wicket hauls, and three ten-wicket matches. In List A (Vijay Hazare Trophy), he claimed 14 wickets in eight matches (average 23.71, economy 5.13) in the 2024-25 season. T20 stats remain modest - 3 wickets in 3 games, but his red-ball control and variations make him a potent middle-overs option.

Sharma joined the MI setup as a net bowler in 2025, impressed in intra-squad games, and was signed mid-season as injury replacement for Vignesh Puthur.