Who is Suyash Sharma? KKR coach Chandrakant Pandit impressed with mystery spinner after debut heroics vs RCB

By India Today Sports DeskKolkata Knight Riders unleashed another mystery spinner! 19-year-old Suyash Sharma shone on his Indian Premier League debut, picking up 3 wickets in their 81-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore at Eden Gardens on Thursday, April 6. Suyash was difficult to read as he joined forces with legendary mystery spinner Sunil Narine and India spinner Varun Chakravarthy to make life difficult for Faf du Plessis-led RCB.

Suyash Sharma finished with figures of 3 for 30 in 4 overs as he got the big wicket of Dinesh Karthik before he helped clean up the RCB tail by picking up the wickets of Anuj Rawat and Karn Sharma.

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Suryash, wearing a headband, shone in his long hair as he resembled Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra. The youngster from Delhi did not get overawed by the occasion as more than 50,000 people had packed the stands at the Eden Gardens, which was hosting a Kolkata Knight Riders match for the first time since 2019.

Suyash bowled with control and used his stock ball, the leg-break, to keep the batters guessing. The youngster shone on an evening where the spin trio of Kolkata Knight Riders picked up 9 of the 10 RCB wickets to fall. After Shardul Thakur’s counter-attacking 68, KKR managed 204 for 7 following which the spin trio shot RCB down for 123 in 17.4 overs.

WHO IS SUYASH SHARMA?

Suyash Sharma did not play any competitive cricket at the highest level before he was spotted by KKR’s talent scout team. The teenager comes from Delhi and has played age-group cricket in the state.

Suyash was bought by KKR at the IPL 2023 mini-auction for Rs 20 lakh, his base price.

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Suyash Sharma played 5 matches for Delhi in the U25 Men’s State A Trophy in Delhi in 2022. He picked up 2 wickets in 5 matches. Videos of Suyash bowling alongside Varun and Narine generated buzz in the lead-up to the IPL 2023 season and the youngster did not disappoint in his IPL debut.

WHAT DO KKR THINK OF SUYASH?

Head coach Chandrakant Pandit was effusive in praise of Suyash and the youngster’s attitude, but highlighted that there is lot to improve when it comes to executing his skills.

“We have seen him (Suyash) at trial matches. He is very quick in the air, and it’s very tough to pick him. It’s just the inexperience; but he showed a fighting attitude,” Chandrakant told the broadcasters after KKR’s win at Eden Gardens.

Meanwhile, Nitish Rana, a senior cricketer from Delhi, said even he hadn’t interacted with Suyash before he met him at the pre-tournament camp for KKR.

“Suyash, playing his first match, bowled brilliant balls to such batters. We have not got to know him so far! He is from Delhi but I hadn’t met him there. I saw him bowl in the camp for KKR. He backs himself. It was always our plan to add him if we needed a third spinner,” Nitish Rana said, lauding the young spinner.

KKR have benefitted from a battery of mystery spinners in the past and the 2-time champions will be hoping Suyash finds ways to remain one step ahead of the batter and keeps performing consistently for them.