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Who Is Brijesh Sharma (Source: AP Photos)
Known for their history of unearthing some of the finest unknown talents, the Rajasthan Royals presented Brisjesh Sharma with his debut IPL cap as they take on the Chennai Super Kings in Guwahati to get the ball rolling in IPL 2026.
Playing RR's season opener, over the likes of Kuldeep Sen and Sushant Mishra, Brijesh Sharma was bought by the inaugural IPL champions for the base price of INR 30 lakh in the IPL 2026 auction. He will share the bowling attack with experienced campaigners in Jofra Archer, Sandeep Sharma and Nandre Burger against the five-time champions.
Who is RR's Brijesh Sharma?
Born on December 16, 1998, in Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir, Brijesh Sharma represents Bengal in the domestic circuit. Over the last couple of years, the right-arm quick bowler spent time at Deepak Punia's Unique Sports Club, Delhi, to hone his cricketing skills before making headlines at the Bengal Pro T20 League 2025.
Ahead of IPL 2026 auctions in June 2025, he featured in 6 matches of the Bengal Pro T20 League 2025 and picked 10 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 7.73. He had the best figures of 3/32 during his time in the tournament. He caught the attention of the RR scouts, who called him up for the trials, where he further made an impression.
At 27, he is yet to make his Bengal debut, but, coming from a humble background, he had a lot of support from his family, with his father, Kapoor Chand Sharma, working as a labourer to raise him. After the auction, speaking to ANI, he also thanked his friends, who helped him during the early years of hardships before making it into the IPL 2026.
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Brijesh Sharma looks to surprise IPL teams
The 27-year-old is the 8th Jammu and Kashmir-born player to play in the IPL and is likely to operate as the first-change bowler after the two overseas pacers, Archer and Burger. He could also be given a responsibility to share the death overs load with Sandeep Sharma after his Bengal Pro T20 League Blitz.
He excels in well-directed short-pitched bowling and varies the pace well, which could come in handy on flat IPL decks to deceive batters, waiting to go all guns blazing at the death.
Dawn of a new era for Rajasthan Royals
Ahead of IPL 2026, the Rajasthan Royals camp underwent a plethora of changes at the top. Firstly, they traded their captain Sanju Samson to the Chennai Super Kings in exchange of Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. Additionally, Kumar Sangakkara returned at the helm of the Jaipur-based franchise to replace Rahul Dravid as the head coach from IPL 2026 onwards.
Riyan Parag, who was their stand-in captain in the previous edition is now made the full-time skipper of the former IPL champions and will have the responsibility to turn their fortunes after a 9th placed IPL 2025 finish.
Lastly, the ownership change could mean some new things will unravel for them in days to come and how the young lot of players deals with it would be interesting to see. In IPL 2026, they will continue their pursuit of the second IPL title since their win back in 2008 under the great Shane Warne.
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