The rise and rise of Sai Sudharasan When it comes to cricket in India, everyone knows about the Indian Premier League (IPL). The tournament has become a breeding ground for some of India’s finest cricketing talent. One such talent is Sai Sudharsan a young cricketer who is making waves in the IPL.
Who is Sai Sudharasan?
Sai Sudharsan is a 21-year-old cricketer from Tamil Nadu, India. He is a right-handed batsman and a free-spirited right-arm bowler. Sudharsan has been playing cricket since childhood and has represented his country at various levels.
Sudharasan’s journey in IPL.
Sudharsan was first seen in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), where he played for Tuti Patriots. He then played for Tamil Nadu in Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. His performance in these matches caught the attention of IPL scouts and Mumbai Indians picked him up in 2022 IPL auction. Although he didn’t get many opportunities in the tournament, he showed glimpses of his potential in a few matches.
Hardik Pandya gives advice to Sudharasan on big things In a recent interview,
Mumbai Indians and Indian cricket team all-rounder Hardik Pandya praised Sudharsan’s skills and gave him advice for great things in Indian cricket “Sudharsan is a very talented cricketer. He has great attitude and sound. He has the potential to become a top cricketer for India in the future,” Pandya said.
What is the price of Sai Sudharshan IPL?
Rs 20.00 Lac
In the IPL Auction 2023, the Ahmedabad franchise acquired the services of B. Sai Sudharsan for Rs 20.00 Lac. His last IPL match was against Rajasthan at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad,
On his IPL debut last season, he hooked Kagiso Rabada over the boundary. On Tuesday, he scooped a 144kph delivery from Anrich Nortje off the stumps for six over the wicketkeeper, and went on to ace the chase for Gujarat Titans. He’s only seven matches into his IPL career and 21-years old, but there’s something special about B Sai Sudharsan.
R Ashwin wanted him to be fast-tracked into the Tamil Nadu side after he had played just one TNPL game in 2021. It was after that TNPL season, in which he scored 358 runs in eight innings at a strike rate just under 144, that Titans bought Sai Sudharsan at his base price of INR 20 lakh for IPL 2022. Then, despite a bright start to his IPL career, he got only five games last season.
Sai Sudharsan returned to domestic cricket and shattered List A records along with his opening partner N Jagadeesan. But he still wasn’t a sure starter for Titans this season as Kane Williamson slotted in at No.3 for the season opener against Chennai Super Kings. However, an injury to Williamson while fielding gave Sai Sudharsan an opportunity during the chase and he contributed 22 off 17 balls as the Impact Player. In Titans’ second game against Delhi Capitals, he was in the starting XI, and cemented his spot at No. 3 with a match-winning 62 off 48 balls.
Nortje had bowled both Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill with express pace in the powerplay, but Sai Sudharsan seemed to have that extra split-second to deal with that speed. His Tamil Nadu senior and childhood friend Washington Sundar, too, often has that extra split-second to play his shots. Sai Sudharsan’s dream is to emulate Washington and swiftly make the transition from domestic cricket and IPL to internationals. His Titans captain Hardik Pandya believes he can make the step up in about two years.
“He has been batting terrifically,” Hardik said of Sai Sudharasan after the match against Capitals. “Credit to him and the support staff as well. The amount of batting he has done in the last 15 days … the result you can see is his hard work and going forward, if I’m not wrong, in two years he will do something great in franchise cricket and hopefully for Indian cricket as well.”
Sai Sudharasan rated his knock against Capitals as one of his best. “I think it is one of my best so far because it was a difficult situation, and from that difficult situation we rose to the occasion,” he said. “We made the team win; so this has been one of my best knocks in domestic cricket.”
He is also adept against spin and has added more power to his game. It was on display when he hit a six and splintered a seat in the stands in Hyderabad during his 20-ball 42 in a chase last December.
“It [the confidence] actually started from last IPL … because of the confidence that we got after winning the IPL,” Sai Sudharasan said. “It helped me a lot to get better and even prepare for the domestic season. I think the domestic season has given me a lot of confidence, coming into the IPL, and we had two small camps and a great ten-day preparation ahead of the IPL, and that has helped me a lot.”
Sai Sudharasan leaps in the air to play a shot•BCCI
Those who have followed Sai Sudharasan’s progress in Chennai’s cricket circles vouch for his work ethic. He didn’t take fitness too seriously during his age-group years – he was Yashasvi Jaiswal’s Under-19 batch-mate – and slipped down the pecking order at the time. However, during the Covid-induced lockdown in 2020-21, he shed weight and got into shape. His father Bharadwaj, a former athlete, and mother Usha, a former volleyball player who has worked as a strength and conditioning coach with the Tamil Nadu cricket team, have transformed his attitude towards fitness. Sai Sudharsan is now more agile on the field and while running between the wickets. Following a strict diet plan has also helped him.
“The kind of work ethic that Sai Sudharasan has got, it inspires me,” Jagadeesan told ESPNcricinfo ahead of IPL 2023. “When I say that my work ethic is good, and when I came across Sai Su’s work ethic, I somehow got the feeling that he’s working harder than me and maybe this is what it takes to be more successful. The way he was batting and the way he was going with his game was just beautiful to watch. It was just poetry in motion. He inspires me. We started talking a lot about cricket and once we stepped onto the field, we always had an open discussion as to how we needed to counter the bowling.”
Sai Sudharasan is only 21, but he is already an IPL champion, Syed Mushtaq Ali champion, and TNPL champion. In the inaugural TNPL auction in February this year, he earned a deal worth INR 21.60 lakh, which is more than his IPL contract of INR 20 lakh. He won the Player-of-the-Match award on Ranji Trophy debut last December and was named Tamil Nadu’s vice-captain in his maiden season. Having won his first Player-of-the-Match award in the IPL against the Capitals, Sai Sudharsan is now ready for the big time.
