Gujarat Titans handed a debut to Rajasthan pacer Ashok Sharma, who made an immediate impact by clocking 149.7 kmph with the very first ball he bowled against Punjab Kings on March 31.
Who is Ashok Sharma, the latest GT debutant against PBKS?
The 23-year-old was picked up by the Gujarat Titans for INR 90 lakh at the IPL 2026 auction, marking his third franchise in the league. He was earlier signed by the Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 55 lakh in 2022 and later joined the Rajasthan Royals for INR 30 lakh in 2025. Despite being part of multiple squads, Sharma had to wait until this season for his IPL debut, which follows a string of impressive performances in domestic cricket.
Match 4, Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans
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An out-and-out fast bowler, Sharma made his professional debut only in October 2025. Playing for Rajasthan against Jammu and Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy, he picked up three wickets in the only innings he bowled and finished the season with 14 wickets from four matches. His List A debut, against Madhya Pradesh, was less fruitful as he went wicketless, but it was in the T20 format that he began to establish himself.
Having previously served as a net bowler for Rajasthan Royals in 2024, Sharma’s breakthrough came in the Rajasthan Premier League, where he claimed eight wickets at an average of 22.25 and an economy rate of 7.12 in 2023. On his T20 debut against Tamil Nadu last November, he picked up three wickets. Although he conceded 40 runs, the performance set the tone for what followed.
Nine matches later, he had 22 wickets at an average of 15.63, the joint-most by any bowler in a single season of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He registered two four-wicket hauls, with his pronounced outswing and an action reminiscent of Dale Steyn - whom he closely studied. His rise also earned him a place in the India A squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup warm-up fixtures against the USA and Namibia, where he returned figures of 1 for 24 and 2 for 8, respectively.
Ashok Sharma's IPL debut
Introduced as the first-change bowler, Sharma began with a striking delivery - a length ball on middle stump clocked at 149.7 kmph. He started with two dot balls but conceded a six and a four later in the over, while consistently operating in the high-140s. His second over proved expensive as well, conceding two sixes. After two overs, he had conceded 26 runs.
However, the decisive moment came in the 18th over, with Punjab needing 21 runs to win. Sharma conceded just two runs off the first three deliveries before dismissing Marco Jansen with a slower ball at 109 kmph. He followed it up with a 149 kmph delivery to new batter Xavier Bartlett and finished the over by conceding only five runs, bringing Gujarat Titans back into contention. GT, however, lost the close game in the end.
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