In the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Rajasthan Royals’ fast bowler Sandeep Sharma achieved the best performance by an Indian player for his team. Sandeep accomplished this remarkable feat during Rajasthan Royals’ match against Mumbai Indians at Sawai Mansingh Stadium. He claimed five wickets for just 18 runs in his four overs, dismissing Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David, and Gerald Coetzee.
This outstanding display also ranks as the third-best bowling performance by a Rajasthan Royals bowler in IPL history, with the top two spots held by Pakistan’s Sohail Tanvir (6/14 against Chennai Super Kings in 2008) and Australia’s James Faulkner (5/16 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2013). So far in this season, Sandeep has taken six wickets in three matches at an average of 12.66, with his standout figures coming in this particular game.
In his IPL career spanning 119 matches, Sandeep has taken 130 wickets at an average of 26.72, with his best bowling figures being 5/18. He has also achieved two four-wicket hauls in the tournament. In the match against Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals’ opponent won the toss and chose to bat first. At one stage, Mumbai Indians were struggling at 20/3, but Tilak Varma played a crucial role with a 32-run partnership with Mohammed Nabi and a substantial 99-run stand with Nehal Wadhera, guiding Mumbai Indians to a total of 179/9 in their allotted 20 overs.
Sandeep Sharma, with his exceptional figures of 5/18, was the standout bowler for Rajasthan Royals, while Trent Boult and Avesh Khan also contributed with two and one wickets respectively. Spinner Yuzvendra Chahal also made history by becoming the first player to reach 200 IPL wickets.