Parashar Joshi made headlines during the Women’s Premier League (WPL) last year, not only for his umpiring but also for his uncanny resemblance to cricketer Shreyas Iyer — a similarity that created a whirlwind of memes on social media. Interestingly, Parashar has more than a visual similarity with Shreyas; he also has a cricket background, although he never played at the international level.
Parashar was first seen not in the cricketing arena, but on the singing reality show Indian Idol. He had auditioned for the program since its inaugural season and, after being rejected three times, eventually made it onto the program in Season 4. He made it to the piano round in 2008 and also posted a video of that moment on Instagram, stating in 2023, “18th Oct 2008. 15 years!! How time flies!! If only the 23-yr-old me knew then what an adventure the next 15 years were gonna be.”
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Although he did not go very far in the contest, Parashar maintained his music passion. He performs live throughout India, creates original songs, and posts covers of old songs. In 2023, he thanked his audience after posting that his music had been heard by 13,000 listeners in 48 countries on Spotify.
From Pune, Parashar started playing club-level cricket in his teenage years, even before taking the Indian Idol stage. Though he realized by 2005 that professional cricket may not be his calling, he never quit playing, keeping himself fit and attached to the game he cherished through the sport.
His steady performance ultimately resulted in a fresh chapter. He was chosen for the BCCI panel of umpires in 2015. From that point on, Parashar started officiating in domestic leagues like the Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy. His moment of glory was the Women’s Premier League in 2024.
Making His IPL Debut
In 2025, Parashar was one of seven new faces appointed by the BCCI to officiate in the Indian Premier League. On April 5, he stood in his first IPL match — a high-profile clash between MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings and KL Rahul’s Delhi Capitals. Since then, he has officiated games featuring cricketing icons such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Andre Russell, and Mitchell Marsh.
Apart from cricket and music, Parashar has one more passion — cycling. This passion is visible in his love for biking as indicated in his Instagram bio, and his profile is sprinkled with videos of him cycling through picturesque routes, fitting in road trips between singing gigs and umpiring assignments.
