The Rajasthan pacer has shown promise within the limited opportunities he got so far
It takes a special talent when the BCCI is convinced to give permission for a player with no senior domestic cricket experience to be named for the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. Rajasthan’s Ashok Sharma joined a list of very few players when his name was proposed for the IPL auction in 2022 by Kolkata Knight Riders coaches who were very impressed to put in the request.
The former Rajasthan Under 19 pacer had to overcome a number of false dawns and pitfalls to make it to the IPL. When he tried to make it to the Indian Under 19 team in 2019, the pandemic hit. The death of his coach Vivek Yadav weighed down heavily on the youngster while a bout of dengue during the Challenger Trophy in 2021 affected his performances, costing him a place for the Under 23 CK Nayudu Trophy.
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When an opportunity showed itself, Sharma grabbed it with both hands. His pace and ability to swing the ball impressed former Rajasthan keeper-batter Dishant Yagnik. The then Rajasthan Royals fielding coach, immediately roped him in with Rajasthan Royals Academy (RRA) and got him included with the squad for the pandemic-hit IPL 2020-21 as a net bowler for the franchise.
And so began Sharma’s journey at the elite level, as he impressed KKR coach to be part of their squad for a price of INR 55 lakhs for IPL 2022. The tall pacer has a sturdy run-up to the crease followed by a quick lock and release of the arm, similar to that of former South African allrounder Lancer Klusener but a lot quicker. In fact, bowling fast has been the most noteworthy part of Sharma’s development as he often hit the 145 kmph mark consistently.
Not all his deliveries were hitting the right areas, but when they landed batters had no answers. At an age of 22, ask any accomplished fast bowler for advice, they will tell a speedster to just bowl fast.
Even though chances from Rajasthan’s state team didn’t come, Sharma kept at it bowling rockets wherever he played. He played with the bigger players in DY Patil T20 Trophy, Uttarakhand Gold Cup and in the lone season of the Rajasthan Premier League in 2023.
In the IPL 2025 auction in November, he returned back to Rajasthan Royals, for a base price of INR 30 lakh. Back in 2021, it was Umran Malik with Sunrisers Hyderabad. In 2024, it was Lucknow Super Giants’ Mayank Yadav with tearaway pace. In IPL 2025, it might be Ashok Sharma’s time to show India’s burgeoning pace arsenal.
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