Happy Birthday Sandeep Sharma: The clever bowler is known for his tremendous ability to swing the ball both ways. (Image: Instagram)
Happy Birthday Sandeep Sharma: The right-arm medium pacer from Punjab has taken 124 wickets in 115 matches and has an economy rate of 7.83.
Happy Birthday Sandeep Sharma: Sandeep Sharma is arguably one of the most consistent bowlers in the Indian Premier League. The right-arm medium pacer from Punjab has taken 124 wickets in 115 matches and has an economy rate of 7.83. In 2017, he took 17 wickets in the tournament with best bowling figures of 4/20.
The 29-year-old made a comeback to the IPL after going unsold in the auction last December. Sandeep was roped in by Rajasthan Royals after the famous Krishna was sidelined due to a lumbar stress fracture.
The clever bowler is known for his tremendous ability to swing the ball both ways. Sandeep has added many variations to his arsenal and can trouble the batsmen at any stage of the game. He is an exceptional bowler in T20 cricket and an asset to any captain in subcontinent conditions.
Let us take a look at some of the best spells of Sandeep Sharma in the Indian Premier League on Sandeep Sharma’s 30th birthday.
- 1/30 – Rajasthan Royals v Chennai Super Kings Sat, 12 April 2023
Sandeep Sharma displayed his ability to outwit the best of players in this exciting game. Chasing 175 runs, the Chennai Super Kings batsmen faltered in front of Rajasthan’s disciplined bowling. But Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni steadied the ship and brought Chennai back into the fixture. In the end, Chennai needed 21 runs in the last over.
With Dhoni on strike, Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson tasked Sandeep Sharma to bowl the final over. Sandeep starts the over poorly and gives away two wides. Dhoni then hit two flat sixes to bring the equation to seven runs off three balls.
When everyone thought Dhoni would finish the match in his trademark style, Sandeep came back with a brilliant yorker and won the match for his team. - 4/20 – Delhi Daredevils v Kings XI Punjab, 30 April 2017
Sandeep Sharma registered his best bowling figures in the IPL during this fixture. The wily pacer ran through the Delhi Daredevils’ top-order. He eventually finished with figures of 4/20 and was named player of the match. - 3/19 – Sunrisers Hyderabad v Royal Challengers Bangalore, March 31, 2019
Sunrisers Hyderabad completely dominated this game and Sandeep Sharma had a huge role in it. Batting first, Hyderabad scored a challenging score of 231 runs. The Royal Challengers were tough opponents and boasted of a formidable batting line-up, which included Virat Kohli. Sandeep broke the back of the Royal Challengers by dismissing Kohli for 3 runs. The Royal Challengers never really recovered from this and lost the match by 118 runs. - 4/25 – Kings XI Punjab v Kolkata Knight Riders, 18 April 2015
Sandeep Sharma once again showed his ability to swing the ball and tore apart the Kolkata Knight Riders top-order. The fast bowler scalped the wickets of key batsmen like Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa and dealt a major blow to the defending champions. But thanks to Andre Russell’s brilliant innings, KKR managed to snatch the match from Punjab. - 3/21 – Kings XI Punjab v Kolkata Knight Riders, 26 April 2014
Sandeep Sharma led his team to victory with his heroics against Kolkata Knight Riders. Chasing a low target of 133, Kolkata Knight Riders proved vulnerable to Sandeep’s accurate swing bowling. Sandeep finished with excellent figures of 3/21 and guided his team to an improbable victory.