He has represented three teams in the Indian Premier League.
Injuries are an inevitable part of any fast bowler’s career. The stress that a fast bowler’s body goes through at every point in the run-up and release is massive. It is often said that a pacer exerts 10 times his body weight through his front foot at the time of release. Though the dynamics of fast bowling are very vast, it is imperative for a speedster to manage his workload and technique in an efficient manner. After being hit by injuries, Rajasthan Royals speedster Tushar Deshpande spoke about his plans in the future.
Add to that the rising nature of T20 leagues around the world, and the workload goes for a definite toss. Despite bowling a total of just four overs every game in the shortest format, there is a high risk of injury for bowlers. The frequency of the matches is too much for a bowler who plays all the three formats. To add to that, the workload of a bowler who plays the Ranji Trophy regularly is not less as well.
Deshpande was in and around the Indian team, as far as white-ball cricket is concerned. But an ankle injury in October 2024 is what derailed his road towards consistency. The 30-year-old speedster has represented three teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL). These teams include the Delhi Capitals (DC), the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Rajasthan Royals (RR). After two years with the Men in Yellow, he was handed a contract by RR in IPL 2025.
The speedster from Rajasthan Royals had a good couple of seasons with the Chennai Super Kings previously. He played for the five-time IPL champions in 2023 & 2024, and performed well. In 2023, he bagged 21 wickets in the 16 matches he played. He was again in some good form in the next season. In 13 matches, he bagged 17 wickets, including a four-wicket haul. However, the franchise decided not to retain him and also did not opt for the Right to Match (RTM) card in the IPL 2025 auctions.
That is when the Rajasthan Royals signed Deshpande for 6.5 crores. But he was not able to perform as well as he did in the previous two outings. The injury which he sustained in October last year might have had a role to play in his below-par performance. He played a total of 10 matches in the recent season, and was able to bag only nine wickets in the tournament. However, the speedster has expressed his willingness to make a strong comeback post injury.
In a recent interview with ESPNCricinfo, Deshpande revealed that he had put in some hard yards to recover from the injury. Moreover, he also spoke about what led to his decision to get his foot operated at the time. Finally, he stated that he is in good shape and is feeling good ahead of the new season.
“I have put in a lot of effort, actually. It was a major ankle surgery and that being my landing foot, it was necessary that I get operated at that moment of time because coming ahead are a lot of international tours as well. I’m aiming for that and I’m feeling good now for the start of the season”, the pacer revealed.
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The pacy speedster has the same aspiration as every other player who starts to play the game. He would want to represent India in the longest format of the game. Deshpande has been a force to reckon with in the domestic circuit for a long time for Mumbai. He has wreaked havoc and rattled the opposition on a lot of occasions. However, he will have to continue to perform consistently to go anywhere near to an India call-up.
His bowling is the primary skill that gets him into the playing XI. However, the Rajasthan Royals pacer is no mug with the bat either. He has a century to his name in the Ranji Trophy season last year. And it doesn’t stop here. Deshpande spoke about how fast bowling became his primary skill later in his career. He concluded by speaking about patience, which is one of the primary skills for a batter.
“Fast bowling was the second thing which I later picked up in my career when I was at Under-13. The aspiration is always to play Test cricket for India, but I’m taking one match at a time, one day at a point, and just following a good process and keeping myself fit because I’ve lost considerable time off the game last year”, said Deshpande.
