Ravi Bishnoi

Ravi Bishnoi is a talented leg-spinner who predominantly plays for Rajasthan in the domestic circuit and now for the Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Born and brought up in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, Bishnoi with the help of a few of his friends and two coaches, built a cricket academy so that he could train properly as Jodhpur had very little cricket culture and facilities.

Bishnoi made his List-A debut in 2019 and some impressive performances caught the eyes of selectors. The wrist-spinner was selected to be a part of India’s U19 World Cup squad in 2020. Bishnoi had an excellent tournament as the leggie finished the tournament with 17 wickets in just 6 games as the Indian team finished runners-up.

In India’s World Cup match against Japan, Bishnoi scalped 4 wickets for 5 runs in 8 overs, with India winning that match by 10 wickets, and he was declared the ‘Man of the Match’.

Leg spinners, due to the variety they possess, are always a huge attraction in the IPL, and this was also the case with Bishnoi as he was bought by Punjab Kings for INR 2 crores. Prior to his selection in the IPL, Bishnoi worked as a net bowler for Rajasthan Royals in 2018.

After impressive performances, the leggie was handed over his debut T20I cap at the venerated Eden Gardens in February 2022. He took two wickets in the match scheduled versus the West Indies. 

Six months later, Bishnoi made his ODI appearance against South Africa in Lucknow. 

Bishnoi made his IPL debut against the Delhi Capitals in September 2020 and picked up Rishabh Pant as his first IPL scalp. 

He finished the tournament with 12 wickets in 14 matches and was nominated for the ‘Emerging Players’ award. He made a shift to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ahead of the season's 15th edition and scalped 13 wickets from 14 games. Adding to the list of another successful season, Bishnoi enjoyed his best ever IPL with the ball in 2023 when he pouched 16 wickets in 15 matches.

His greatest triumph so far has been the Asian Games 2023 where the Indian men’s cricket team clinched gold. He took five wickets in the tournament, including a three-for in the quarter-final versus Nepal, at an economy of 5.17.

As expected, he was not in the Indian player contingent for the ODI World Cup 2023 and despite being India’s highest ranked T20I bowler, he failed to make the cut for the T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled in the Caribbean and the USA.

He was named the Player of the Series against Australia held in November-December 2023 as he claimed nine scalps in five innings.

Bishnoi defended 11 runs in the double super-over T20I match versus Afghanistan and was rightly praised for his superb show.

In IPL 2024, the leg-spinner failed to make an impact. His lack of wickets in the T20 tournament potentially led to his exclusion from India’s T20 World Cup squad.

(As of May 2024)