Suyash Sharma

Some Lesser Known Facts About Suyash Sharma

• Suyash Singh is an Indian cricketer who represented Delhi Under-25 in domestic cricket. He represented Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

•  He got interested in cricket in his childhood after watching his brother play cricket. He also trained under his brother during his initial playing days.

• He started playing as a batsman and later became a bowler as his career progressed.

• His talent was first observed by coach Suresh Batra who informed the former Delhi player Kartar Nath about his skills as a leg spinner, particularly googlies.

• Kartar told Suyash to attend the trials for Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) league where he was chosen for the Dena Bank team. Kartar talked about his talent in an interview and said that he spotted his talent during the first trial itself. He said,
  

  He bowled very good googlies and at first sight, we knew that this guy has huge potential. So, we roped him in for the Dena Bank team and he was given a stipend.”

• Kartar later tried to get him chosen for the Delhi Under-19 team; however, his attempts did not yield the desired outcome as he was not selected. ^[1]DDCA

• Suyash later played for Madras Club in the DDCA league.

• During the onset of Covid-19 in 2020, his mother called Kartar and informed him that Suyash would quit cricket; however, Kartar persuaded her to allow Suyash to play cricket. Suyash’s elder brother also supported Suyash and took care of the family financially so that Suyash can focus on cricket. Kartar said,
  

  Back then, things were not working out for Suyash and his mom called me up one day, saying that he would quit cricket. I told her to give him some time and have some patience. That was the COVID period and I requested her to allow him to play for a bit more. She listened to me. His elder brother backed him a lot. He also played some local cricket, so despite the challenges, he ensured that Suyash continued his game”

  

• Kartar told ex-India player Gursharan Singh, then-member of the Cricket Advisory Committee for Delhi, about Suyash’s skills. Gursharan was impressed with the trials, and he later got Suyash selected for the Delhi Under-25 team.

• There were some issues with his paperwork which were resolved with the help of DDCA President and Arun Jaitley‘s son, Rohan Jaitley. Gursharan talked about his selection in an interview and said,
  

  Kartar told me about the boy and I was impressed with his bowling. He had some issues with paperwork, but DDCA president Rohan Jaitley ensured that things were sorted out and the selectors eventually picked him for the U-25 team.”

• In the 2022 IPL auction for the 2023 season, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) acquired him for his base price of Rs 20 lakhs. KKR CEO Venky Mysore was very happy after the auction as they had kept a fixed portion of the franchise’s purse aside; however, they had to shell out only 20 lakhs.

• Prior to the IPL 2022 auction, he participated in trials at the KKR Academy in Mumbai. KKR’s scouts including Abhishek Nayar were excited upon seeing his talent.

• Pankaj Singh, ex-India bowler and former Delhi Under-25 coach, said in an interview that Suyash bowls leg-spin and googlies at good speeds which makes it difficult for batsmen to anticipate those deliveries. He said,
  

  Before the auction, Abhishek (Nayar) called me to check on Suyash and a few other youngsters. And, I remember that we discussed his googlies and how he can be a surprise element for any team. The unique thing about him is that he can bowl leg spin and googlies at good speeds. It is difficult for batters to pick his googlies.”

• Chandrakant Pandit, KKR Coach, also praised his competitive spirit in an interview and said,
  

  We’ve seen him in our trial matches. He’s quick through the air. It’s difficult to pick him as he bowls both away from and into the batter. He has shown good attitude and fighting spirit throughout the camps.”

• In an interview before the commencement of the IPL 2023 season, Suyash said that he liked challenges and was ready for the pressure of the games. He later said that he liked bowling to big hitters and needed a chance to capitalise.

• He grabbed the debut chance in the 2023 IPL season by taking 3 wickets for 30 runs in 4 overs against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on 6 April 2023 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. He dismissed Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat, and Karn Sharma to help KKR claim their first win of the season.

  

• KKR captain Nitish Rana also praised Suyash’s confidence in the post-match conference and said,
  

  Suyash is a confident young man and he has belief in himself. He made his chance count and it was great to see him bowl that way.”

• Some KKR fans called him a lookalike of the Gold-medallist Indian Olympian Neeraj Chopra due to his long hair. A few fans also became happy to see him celebrate the wickets by copying KKR owner Shah Rukh Khan‘s moves in his film Main Hoon Na.