‘A strong mind and big heart’: Jayawardene lauds Raghu’s journey from net bowler to maiden IPL wicket

Mumbai: Mumbai Indians (MI) coach Mahela Jayawardene lavished praise on 33-year-old spinner Raghu Sharma after he picked up his maiden wicket in the Indian Premier League (IPL), highlighting the bowler’s journey from being a net bowler last season to making a mark on the big stage.

Raghu’s breakthrough came during the Mumbai Indians’ six-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Wankhede Stadium, where the hosts chased down a daunting 229-run target in 18.4 overs. The victory was powered by a 143-run opening stand between Rohit Sharma (84) and Ryan Rickelton (83), helping MI register their highest-ever successful chase at the venue.

Jayawardene revealed that Raghu’s rise has been built on relentless hard work and determination, recalling how the youngster pushed himself even during a training stint in Sri Lanka.

“You guys remember he was a net bowler last year, worked really hard, got into the squad, never stopped working hard. He came to Sri Lanka; some people don’t know he came for a 10-day camp. He wasn’t bowling well, so he worked even harder in Colombo in that hot sun,” Jayawardene said in a video released by the Mumbai Indians on X.

In a match dominated by big scores with LSG posting 228/5 after Nicholas Pooran’s explosive 63 off 21 balls, Raghu made his moment count by claiming his maiden IPL wicket of Akshat Raghuvanshi, providing a key breakthrough in the middle overs. Raghu delivered a composed spell against the Super Giants, returning figures of 4-0-36-1.

The former Sri Lanka captain added that Raghu had made a promise to return stronger this season, something he has now begun to deliver on.

“And he promised one thing, he said, ‘I’ll be ready for this year’. So a lot of hard work, well deserved to be here, a strong mind and a big heart, well done,” he added.

After taking his first wicket, Raghu pulled out a chit from his pocket and celebrated by holding it. “A very painful 15 years. By the divine mercy of Gurudev ended today. Thanks, Mumbai Indians (Blue and Gold), for giving me this opportunity. Ever grateful,” Raghu’s note read.

Raghu came in as a replacement for Vignesh Puthur in IPL 2025, but didn’t get a chance to play a game in that season. He made his debut on Saturday against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) but returned wicketless.

IANS