Rana has been highly rated in the local setup.
Mumbai Indians (MI) are known for their eye for talent and have recently called a talented left-arm chinaman, Shubham Rana, from Punjab for trials as they prepare for IPL 2026. Rana has been highly rated in the local setup, especially since he is a rare kind of spinner and has immense accuracy in such a young career.
He has already been with the Rajasthan Royals (RR) as a net bowler for the last two years, even though the franchise didn’t bid for him in both auctions. They opted for spinners like Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana this time, which might be due to his progress and how RR want him to develop before slotting him in.
However, his notable performances in various age-group tournaments have brought him into the limelight. Several teams require a solid Indian spinner, and Rana will likely earn a bid in the auction later this year.
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Shubham Rana is known for having exceptional control over his lengths and possesses a lethal googly that turns sharply. Additionally, he has bowls at a good pace and beats the batters in the air, for his ball comes quicker than they anticipate.
During the Cooch Behar Trophy last year, Shubham snared 28 wickets at an average of 13.64 and a strike rate of 27.78 in 10 innings, including a five-wicket haul. His impressive performances in the tournament paved the way for an RR call-up, and he continued to impress in other competitions.
After spending time with RR, he had a fabulous time in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy 2024, ending as the second-leading wicket-taker. Rana took 18 wickets at an average of 11.44 and a strike rate of 16.44, with an economy rate of 4.17, in six matches.
He continued his good run in this year’s Cooch Behar Trophy, grabbing 33 wickets at 17.12 runs apiece in 11 outings, comprising two five-wicket hauls. Clearly, he is a wicket-taker with high potential, and IPL teams have a liking for an aggressive spinner in the XI.
Shubham Rana being on the Mumbai Indians’ radar suggests he has definitely got the X-factor as a bowler. Their scouts filter talent from all over the country, and the franchise doesn’t shy from buying them even when they are very raw.
Examining the team composition, the Mumbai Indians have Mitchell Santner as their lead spinner, with Karn Sharma and Vignesh Puthur as other options. Now, Vignesh is a similar type of bowler to Shubham, but MI would want more options since he is also very raw and will take time to develop completely.
MI have a liking for young talents, someone who can be a long-term investment, and Rana, 19, certainly ticks the box. They don’t spend a big sum on spinners and often opt for middling or decent options, with the focus on pace and batting departments.
Hence, they would want to get unknown commodities to fill these slots, but a lot will depend on how much Rana impresses in the trials, even though his potential has already been visible at such a young age. MI are known to transform such talents into match-winners, and he can be the next one on the list.
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