Raghu Sharma, 33, makes IPL debut for Mumbai Indians after long domestic grind

Key facts

• Raghu Sharma, 33, made his IPL debut for Mumbai Indians on May 2, 2026, against Chennai Super Kings at MA Chidambaram Stadium.
• He received his cap from captain Hardik Pandya before the toss.
• Sharma has 57 wickets in 12 first-class matches, with five five-wicket hauls and three ten-wicket hauls.
• He has taken 4 wickets in 4 T20 matches at an economy rate of 8.
• MI signed Sharma as a mid-season replacement for injured Vignesh Puthur in 2025 for Rs 30 lakh.
• Sharma was named in the Impact Player list after MI opted to bat first.
• MI dropped Ashwani Kumar and brought in Krish Bhagat for the match.
• Chennai Super Kings made three changes: Ramakrishna Ghosh, Mukesh Choudhary, and Prashant Veer replaced Akeal Hosein, Sarfaraz Khan, and Gurjapneet Singh.

A debut born from a struggling season

Raghu Sharma, a 33-year-old leg-spinner from Jalandhar, Punjab, made his Indian Premier League debut for Mumbai Indians against Chennai Super Kings on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The moment came after a long route through domestic cricket, with Sharma having first played first-class cricket in the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy season. Mumbai Indians entered the match languishing ninth on the table with four points from two wins in eight matches. The team had lost its previous meeting with Chennai Super Kings by 103 runs at the Wankhede Stadium, a defeat that left a clear gap in the season head-to-head and prompted a change in personnel. Hardik Pandya handed Sharma his maiden IPL cap before the game, announcing at the toss: "We have one debut – the leggie (Raghu Sharma) plays his first game." Mumbai also brought in Krish Bhagat for Ashwani Kumar, and Sharma was included in the Impact Player list for the match.

From net bowler to replacement signing

Sharma's path to the IPL was circuitous. Born in 1993 in Jalandhar, he is a right-arm leg-break bowler and a lower-order right-handed batter who represented Punjab and later Puducherry across formats. He made his first-class debut in the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy season and has taken 57 wickets in 12 first-class matches, with five five-wicket hauls and three ten-wicket hauls. In the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy, he took 14 wickets in eight matches, and since his T20 debut in 2021 he has taken four wickets in four matches at an economy rate of eight. Mumbai Indians signed Sharma as a mid-season replacement for the injured Vignesh Puthur in 2025 for Rs 30 lakh, but he did not play a single match in the 2025 edition. He had earlier been associated with the franchise as a net bowler. On May 2, that background turned into a place in the XI and a first cap in one of the league's biggest fixtures.

A must-win match and team changes

For Mumbai Indians, the match against Chennai Super Kings carried added weight. The side arrived ninth on the table with four points after two wins from eight matches, leaving little room for wasted spots. The decision to hand Sharma his debut showed MI were willing to change personnel in the middle of a difficult run. Mumbai dropped Punjab-based fast bowler Ashwani Kumar from their playing XI. In his place, Krish Bhagat, who also represents Punjab in domestic cricket, returned to the side. Rohit Sharma, the 39-year-old right-handed batter from Mumbai, continued to remain on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury while batting against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Wankhede Stadium on April 12. Chennai Super Kings made three changes to their playing XI for Saturday's match. Ramakrishna Ghosh, Mukesh Choudhary, and Prashant Veer returned in place of Akeal Hosein, Sarfaraz Khan, and Gurjapneet Singh. Akeal had picked up four wickets for Chennai in their last IPL match against Mumbai Indians.

Numbers behind the debutant

Sharma's domestic cricket record provided the foundation for his IPL call-up. In 12 first-class matches, he has taken 57 wickets at an average that includes five five-wicket hauls and three ten-wicket hauls. In List A cricket, he has 18 wickets in 12 matches. His T20 statistics are more modest: four wickets in four matches at an economy rate of eight, with only one batting appearance. Despite the limited sample, Mumbai Indians saw enough to sign him as a replacement for Vignesh Puthur in 2025 and later include him in the Impact Player list for the Chepauk fixture. Sharma's inclusion gave Mumbai another leg-spin option in a match where every selection carried extra weight. For a team sitting ninth with four points, the debut was not a side note; it was part of the response to a season that has left little room for wasted spots.

Wider context and what comes next

Sharma's debut extended a longer Mumbai link. The franchise had signed him as a mid-season replacement for the injured Vignesh Puthur in 2025, and he had earlier been associated with the team as a net bowler. On May 2, that background turned into a place in the XI and a first cap in one of the league's biggest fixtures. With Mumbai Indians struggling at ninth on the table, every match from here on is effectively a must-win. The team's decision to blood a 33-year-old debutant signals a willingness to explore all options in a bid to revive their campaign. For Sharma, the opportunity comes after years of domestic toil. Whether he can translate his first-class success to the IPL stage remains to be seen, but his selection alone represents a significant milestone in a career that began in the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy season.

A season-defining gamble

Mumbai Indians' decision to hand a debut to a 33-year-old leg-spinner in a must-win match underscores the precariousness of their position. With only two wins from eight matches, the franchise is running out of time to turn its season around. Sharma's inclusion, alongside the return of Krish Bhagat and the continued absence of Rohit Sharma, reflects a team in flux. The Impact Player rule allowed Mumbai to keep Sharma as a tactical option for the second half of the match after Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bat first. For Chennai Super Kings, the three changes to their playing XI suggest a desire to maintain momentum after their previous 103-run victory over Mumbai. The stage was set for a contest that could define the remainder of the season for both teams.

The bottom line

• Raghu Sharma, 33, made his IPL debut for Mumbai Indians on May 2, 2026, after a long domestic career spanning first-class, List A, and T20 cricket.
• He was signed as a mid-season replacement for Vignesh Puthur in 2025 for Rs 30 lakh and had previously been a net bowler for the franchise.
• Mumbai Indians, ninth on the table with four points, made two changes: Sharma for Ashwani Kumar and Krish Bhagat for Ashwani Kumar (the latter a like-for-like replacement).
• Sharma has 57 wickets in 12 first-class matches, including five five-wicket hauls and three ten-wicket hauls.
• Chennai Super Kings made three changes for the match, bringing in Ramakrishna Ghosh, Mukesh Choudhary, and Prashant Veer.
• Rohit Sharma remained sidelined due to a hamstring injury suffered on April 12 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.