Who is Raghu Sharma? Mumbai Indians' newest bet to salvage IPL 2026 season

Ragha Sharma had joined MI as a net bowler in IPL 2025 but was added to the squad as an injury replacement and was subsequently retained.

Danish Malewar, Krish Bhagat, and now Raghu Sharma. These are three players who made their Indian Premier League (IPL) and Mumbai Indians (MI) debut in 2026. But the three debutants have nothing in common. The first two haven’t even turned 23 and still don’t know the ups and downs of professional cricket. Meanwhile, Raghu is a 33-year-old veteran.

When Hardik Pandya handed him his cap before the start of play at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, everyone started wondering who he was. MI were facing arch-rivals the Chennai Super Kings in what is considered the El Clásico of cricket; it was only natural for people to be interested in a cricketer making his debut at an age by which some retire, and others are close to the end.

Who is Raghu Sharma?

Raghu’s cricket journey began in 2011 after India won the ODI World Cup. Before that, he didn’t care for the sport. All of a sudden, at 18 years old, an age by which most people have already decided about their future, he decided to start his journey to play professional sport. Initially, he was a fast bowler. However, the universe wanted something else.

During a practice session at the Jalandhar District Cricket Association, he pulled his hamstring. So, for fun, he started to bowl leg cutters in the nets without a run-up. That’s when Madan Lal, a former ODI World Cup winner, saw him. He advised Raghu to switch to become a leg spinner. Hence, began his journey.

In 2017, he made his Ranji Trophy debut for Punjab. But opportunities came few and far between. Before the 2021-21 season, he moved to Puducherry. Soon, he made his List A and T20 debut. In 2022, he got the opportunity to play for Galle Cricket Club in Sri Lanka’s premier first-class tournament, the Major League Tournament.

In the summer of 2023, he travelled to England to play club cricket. He represented the Longton 1st XI in the premier division of the North Staffs and South Cheshire League. There, he met South African leg spinner Imran Tahir. After having a long and insightful chat with him, Raghu decided to remodel his action. After returning home, he switched back to Punjab and played alongside the likes of Abhishek Sharma and Arshdeep Singh, to name a few.

Start for Mumbai Indians journey

Then, in 2025, MI used him as a net bowler. After left-arm wrist spinner Vignesh Puthur was ruled out of the season due to injury, he was announced as his replacement and retained ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. Now, at 33, after years of ups and downs, Raghu finally has his moment, and he would love to make it count.

Raghu Sharma bowling stats