Brijesh Sharma made his IPL debut on Monday after being named in the playing XI of the Rajasthan Royals for their match against the Chennai Super Kings.Rajasthan Royals had picked the Jammu and Kashmir pacer at his base price of Rs 30 lakh in the IPL 2026 auction. At that time, he had not played senior cricket in any format, but his performances in the 2025 Bengal Pro T20 League had brought him into focus.A right-arm medium pace bowler, Sharma finished joint-fifth on the wickets list in that tournament, taking 11 wickets in seven matches while playing for Smashers Malda.
From J&K to RR via Bengal
His journey to professional cricket has come through several challenges. He grew up in the Dandial area as the son of a labourer and faced financial issues 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 the 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. Playing at Eden Gardens, he was among the leading wicket-takers and showed his ability in both the Powerplay and the final overs, finishing with 11 wickets in seven matches.That run led to his selection by Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2026. The impact of Brijesh Sharma extends beyond his statistics; he has become a symbol of hope for aspiring cricketers from Jammu and Kashmir, following in the footsteps of regional icons like Umran Malik and Auqib Nabi these days.In the match, Rajasthan Royals won the toss and elected to bowl against Chennai Super Kings in their 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 charismatic MS Dhoni, who has been sidelined for at least two weeks due to 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.
