Brijesh Sharma has been a wayfarer for many of his cricketing life to date. No stability, simply the subsequent alternative, event after event, month after month. It’s a story that started in Jammu & Kashmir, a current hotbed for high-quality quicks. But it has taken a number of twists and turns earlier than ending up at Rajasthan Royals.
A wildcard decide for IPL 2026, Brijesh has impressed to date together with his change of speeds and yorkers, staple merchandise for a T20 bowler. But it hasn’t come the typical approach: earlier than the IPL, he had not performed a single aggressive match.
Son of a labourer in the small, rustic city of Mada, Brijesh made his approach up J&Okay circles, taking part in U16 and U19 for the state. By the time the U23 stage happened, the competitors gave him a actuality verify. Abdul Samad, the J&Okay batter at the moment at Lucknow Super Giants, suggested Brijesh to coach in Delhi to raised perceive how the world exterior works.
Deepak Punia, a former Ranji seamer who was as soon as picked by Mumbai Indians, got here as a guiding gentle to Brijesh. Such was the affect that Brijesh would later inform RR that Punia “gave him a brand new life”.
“He came to me around 2021-22,” Punia tells Cricbuzz. “He used to play local tennis-ball cricket in J&K. When he came to Delhi, I made him play more professionally, getting him into local tournaments here”.
Punia runs an academy referred to as Unique Sports Club on the outskirts of Delhi. “He has great learning powers. Being a fast bowler myself, I taught him from my own experience and skills. He came from a poor family, did not even have shoes to play with. I took care of his stay, meals, and everything else”.
At Delhi, Brijesh acquired the probability to play prestigious native tournaments similar to Lala Raghubir Singh Hot Weather event and Laxman Dass Chhabra Memorial. “To polish his skills, I made him play the best of the best tournaments in Delhi”.
Punia labored so much on his bowling muscle tissue to extend his tempo. “When he first came, he would clock about 125-128kph. Now he has crossed 140. In the IPL practice matches, he touched 145 as well. At the same time, I taught him slower ones, slower bouncers and yorkers too.
“Having performed a lot tennis-ball cricket, his arm-speed was actually quick. And those that have that, it is actually tough to choose their slower ones. I added a back-of-the-hand variation to it too.”
However, given Delhi’s uber-competitive ecosystem, a breakthrough had to come from elsewhere.
In the IPL, Brijesh is registered as a Cricket Association of Bengal player. Two years ago, Brijesh came to West Bengal in search of more playing opportunities. By Brijesh’s own admission, it was also a way of playing tennis-ball cricket to earn money.
Punia would deter Brijesh from sticking to the tennis ball too much. “When we began leather-based ball there, I advised him ‘We’re not taking part in this (tennis-ball) cricket anymore. There was a danger of damage. Once, he began feeling ache in his elbow, and I fully lower him off”.
Punia would himself turn up as an outstation player for the Kidderpore Sporting Club in Kolkata. One of his friends at the club, Debi Prasanna Padhi – also the development committee chairman at CAB – was on the lookout for a bowler for their premier division league.
For context, CAB’s club matches are divided into second division and first division, which in turn has the super (or premium division with 11 teams). When available, even top Bengal players like Anustup Majumdar, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Mukesh Kumar turn up there.
That Brijesh got an entry into the top-most division itself was a big first step. “Club matches in Kolkata are very essential in paving the approach for U23 and Ranji choice,” MD Azharuddin, who plays for Mohammedan Sporting Club, tells Cricbuzz. Azharuddin would play a role in Brijesh earning his first domestic T20 gig.
Brijesh found support from Padhi, who put him up in one of his flats, which acted as the club’s local quarters, sharing the room with two-three other players. Along with Punia, Padhi helped him with meals and stay in Kolkata: “He was struggling at that time, and had some monetary troubles too. Mujhse jo ban pada, maine kiya” (I helped him out in whatever ways I could),” Padhi tells Cricbuzz. Padhi ensured Brijesh put his identify in varied native tournaments, and the accumulating match charges stored serving to him out. Meeting totally different coaches, and taking part in in a aggressive area, Brijesh learnt the worth of constantly hitting the similar spot.
But the uncooked expertise stood out. “He was different from the start,” Azhar says. “Looking at his body structure, you could never understand how he was so quick, or how he had the skills for cutters and slower ones”.
“We hardly get IPL-level players here”
In a well-established membership circuit, Brijesh was in demand for his tempo modifications, and his identify began doing the rounds in the Maidan circles. “In Bengal, T20 format players are quite few,” Azhar says. “We hardly get IPL-level players springing out of here”.
“We scout and identify players between us,” says Azhar. “Player transfers are common to balance out teams”. Playing for Mohammedan Sporting, Azhar crossed paths with Brijesh sufficient to know that his expertise deserved to go greater.
Before the IPL, Brijesh had not performed a single aggressive match. ©BCCI
The Bengal Pro T20 breakthrough
Having fine-tuned his abilities at the native ranges, Brijesh’s massive break got here in the Bengal Pro T20 League. State-based leagues have grow to be a simple membrane for IPL scouts to soak up gamers from. A standout efficiency can put you firmly in entrance of the scouts’ eyes.
Bought by Sobisco Smashers Malda in the draft, Brijesh picked up 11 wickets in seven video games at an economic system of seven.7. From there, the RR scouts took over.
Ayan Subhra Mukherjee, assistant coach at Smashers, recollects how Brijesh was on their radar. He had already heard of Brijesh in membership cricket, being the coach of Mohammedan Sporting membership, and met him at one among the membership video games.
The Bengal word-of-mouth “scouting” system got here into play. Azharuddin, a part of the similar membership, pushed for Brijesh’s case, suggesting him as an choice.
“In our Bengal Pro T20 draft strategy meeting, we were specifically looking for a white-ball death bowler,” Ayan tells Cricbuzz. “I called Azhar and confirmed if he was the same bowler doing well at Kidderpore. We then checked all his stats, videos, and his numbers against us in club cricket”. Ayan satisfied the group to go for him, and so they did.
He explains what made Brijesh stand out: “If you ask him to bowl in one spot, he will. He won’t ever complain about getting tired. We made him toil a lot in the nets. He is a very good listener, he observes. If it’s helpful, he says ‘thank you, bhaiya’. If there’s more to add, he plans, stays patient, and evaluates before asking (the coaches).
“We created an excellent bonding setup throughout these 20 days (of the T20 league). He would give his bowling inputs (to the group), similar to go shut or bowl vast of the stumps.
“He would always play to win, not just to compete. He had no other plan. As coaches, we would still have a Plan B and C if things didn’t work out, but he would only talk about winning. As a junior, he only had Plan A. If things weren’t going to plan, he would step up and say, ‘I will do it’. He could deceive batters, and how. Without changing one bit of his arm speed, he could send down a back-of-the-hand that disturbed a lot of good batters in the league.”
Azharuddin provides to the reward: “In difficult situations, he would come up to me and ask for bowling. “(Woh bohot tez marta hai) he bowls actually quick. Picking a slower one off a quick bowler, just a few can do it properly.
At Smashers, Brijesh discovered a information in Mukesh Kumar and collectively they shaped a formidable pairing.
“He was always so focused,” Gitimoi Basu, one among his seniors at Smashers, tells Cricbuzz. “He didn’t come to play the Bengal Pro T20 League, his focus was something else (bigger). It’s what IPL scouts look for: swing with the new ball, a pace of 135-140, and proper yorkers and slower balls at the death. We didn’t have Mukesh (their marquee player) early in the season (he was playing for India A). Brijesh was our main bowler. And when Mukesh came, they linked up together well.
“We grew up along with Shami – not evaluating bowling high quality, as a result of he’s a legend. But Brijesh’s thought course of can be very particular, he would not intrude in anybody else’s work. And if he thinks he will help another person, he does.
“He hasn’t even played Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The scouts must have seen something”.
The Pro T20 showings arrange a possibility with the Royals. Ayan recollects speaking to Brijesh after the trials. “He said I bowled well, put in the slower ones too. Let’s see whether they pick me or not”. Even at that time, he was his future assignments, checking up on this yr’s Bengal T20 draft and retention guidelines.
Ayan’s recommendation was to only keep sincere with himself. “Just like you do, speak less, listen more. Don’t worry too much about selection”. The coach hoped to see a slower one together with his first IPL wicket however was completely satisfied how he skidded the ball to entice Kartik Sharma lbw.
The Bengal success didn’t imply that his grind stopped in any approach. Between the Bengal T20 League final June and taking part in native T20 cricket in Kolkata in November, Brijesh squeezed in journeys to Delhi, Ghaziabad and J&Okay to play extra cricket. Before he joined the RR camp in Raipur, he was sharpening his abilities at the Empress League in Gurgaon, frequented by many IPL regulars.
“He has no fixed spot,” says Azhar. “He keeps travelling around, wherever he can play wherever there are matches”. Punia says he spends most of his time coaching in Delhi when not taking part in elsewhere. “He hardly gets to go home for 10-15 days”.
“Dada ke bina toh yeh sab ho hi nahi sakta tha” (All of this would not have been doable with out Sourav Ganguly Dada”, says Padhi. He recalls approaching Ganguly, the CAB President, to help out with Brijesh’s paperwork ahead of IPL 2026. By that time, Ganguly had already heard and seen Brijesh’s Bengal T20 exploits.
“He had performed for the J&Okay board 5 years in the past. When he got here right here, he ought to have taken a no-objective certificates to play in Bengal. The type for this IPL needed to be filed from West Bengal. If Dada hadn’t supported him, he would not have been in a position to apply.”
Azharuddin claims Ganguly even messaged Padhi to congratulate him on Brijesh’s rise. “Another participant has emerged in Bengal”, Ganguly texted, along with figures and analysis of his bowling.
There’s hope among those who helped him that Brijesh’s career will continue in Bengal.
“We have not spoken about it, however he ought to play from right here solely,” says Azhar. “Dada likes him so much. After Mukesh and Akash (Deep), he has emerged as the subsequent one from Bengal, so Dada’s focus is on him”.
“We would attempt to play from Bengal solely,” says Punia. “Once he comes again and I communicate to him, we’ll resolve what’s greatest”.
For now, Brijesh has been steadily doing top work for the Royals. Employed in the middle and end overs, he has been mixing his deliveries up well, maintaining an economy of under nine. His supporters have high hopes for him in the future.
“Our want is that he goes additional up from right here, and would not simply come again after touching this level, happening to play for India,” Punia says. “He has bowled properly at the demise to date. In the Indian group, we hardly have any good demise bowlers apart from Jasprit Bumrah”.
And whereas which may be a street far-off for now, one factor is definite with Brijesh: the grind by no means stops.
