Ever since the inception of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008, it has garnered a reputation as the prime stage for young talents, both Indian and foreign, to showcase their talent. While their skills may develop in domestic cricket, the IPL provides them with a platform to test themselves against international-level players.
Bet here on IPL 2024 and other cricket matches!
On Thursday, there was yet another opportunity for some young players to make their mark as Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings faced off at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Who is Ashutosh Sharma? Meet PBKS batter who idolises SKY and broke Yuvraj Singh's record
Ashutosh was born in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh in September 1998. The son of a compounder at a government hospital, he moved away from his family to Indore at the age of ten in order to pursue his cricketing dream. His sacrifice paid off as he was selected for the state U16 team in 2012.
During his U19 days with the MP state team, Ashutosh often took to umpiring in local matches in order to save money for lunch. He also performed all of his household chores with no help in order to cultivate discipline.
MORE: Five overseas players to watch out for in IPL 2024
He debuted for the state's senior team in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2018, at the age of 19. However, his career there was cut short as coach Chandrakant Pandit, who took over in 2020, dropped him from the team even after a blistering knock of 84 against Pondicherry in his final match.
After three years in the cricketing wilderness, Ashutosh managed to join Railways in 2023. He managed to make an earth-shattering impact in his second game, smashing a half-century off 11 balls against Arunachal Pradesh to break Yuvraj Singh's record (12 balls) for the fastest T20 fifty by an Indian.
The big-hitting batter counts fellow MP native and former India wicketkeeper Naman Ojha among his idols, as well as current India and Mumbai batter Suryakumar Yadav. He went unsold in the 2021 IPL auction, but was bought by Punjab Kings this time around, for his base price of Rs 20 lakhs.
| Format | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First-class | 7 | 268 | 38.3 | 109.4 |
| List A | 6 | 56 | 9.3 | 81.2 |
| T20 | 15 | 450 | 30.00 | 196.50 |
| IPL | 1 | 31 | 31.00 | 182.35 |
If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Learn more >