In a season when they have largely struggled and their core players have been off-colour, Mumbai Indians might have found a special talent. He is Raghu Sharma.
Sharma, a leg spinner, made his IPL debut earlier this month in a match against Chennai Super Kings. In his maiden appearance, he bowled his full quota of four overs and conceded only 24 runs but failed to pick up a wicket.
The wait for the first IPL wicket ended in his second match when caught Lucknow Super Giant's Akshat Raghuwanshi off his own bowling. There couldn't have been a better stage than the Wankehede Stadium for the 33-year-old to celebrate his first wicket in the league.
Picking up his first IPL wicket was a dream come true for him. "It is a dream come true for me that I got a maiden IPL wicket," Sharma said in an interview after that match.
Although his IPL debut has come this season, the bowler has been part of the MI set up since 2025. The five-time champions signed him last year when left-arm wrist spinner Vignesh Puthur got injured. He was 33 at the time. Unfortunately, Sharma had to spend all his time warming the bench.
Although Mumbai did not field him in any matches during the 2025 season, the management kept their faith intact by retaining him for 2026. He, in turn, justified that trust by rising to the occasion when the team was going through a difficult phase.
Sharma is nothing but grateful for the opportunity because it has been a struggle to reach the stage where is standing today. "It has been painful 15 years for me...lot of things happened in my life also," Sharma added.
"With the grace of God...just by MI's grace you can say I am very grateful to this franchise that they have supported me and they have believe in me, they have backed me, retained me and now I am just giving them the confidence that yes I can also do that for them as well."
Sharma has idolised two of the best leggies in cricket, Shane Warne and Imran Tahir.
Sport isn't something that runs in Sharma's family. Most of his family members are studious. He too had to follow their footsteps. "We have a family background, all engineers and doctors are there. So I am also an engineer, a electrical engineer."
Becoming a cricketer was tough for Sharma as he wasn't very fit and athletic in his early days. "I was not that much fit. I was 102 kgs. But still I worked hard," he remembered.
Sharma was so out of shape that even his father did not believe that his son could one day pursue cricket. "my father said you can't do it because you are so fatty (fat). You have to run, you have to do lot of hard work, cricket is not for you" Sharma recalled.
Punjab-born Sharma is a late bloomer. Unlike the teenagers of today who have firmly established themselves in the IPL, he started playing cricketer only in his 20s.
"I started at 21" he says. There was little hope for him as he though there wasn't a particular age group team which could be his starting point. But Sharma was single-minded in becoming a cricketer. "All the age group was already finished for me. But still I was determined and focused on my target that I am definitely going to do everything" he said.
His desire to learn and play cricket took him to Sri Lanka and England. Playing cricket in these two countries taught him a lot.
Starting late and yet featuring in the grandest T20 league in the world and becoming part of one of the league's most successful team has taught Sharma that it is never too late. "I will just want to say that age is just not a number," he added.
So what has fueled Sharma's desire to be persistent and relentless to become a cricketer?
"But still you know I worked hard... just to see when Dhoni sir hit that six. That gave me some determination to do this, that I also can do," Sharma adds, referring to Dhoni's 2011 World Cup winning six, the moment which also played out at the Wankhede Stadium.
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