B Sai Sudharsan

Hailing from Chennai, B Sai Sudharsan is the upcoming superstar of Tamil Nadu cricket. The 19-year-old young sensation made a huge impact with the bat in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) and grabbed a lot of eyeballs thanks to his splendid show.

Sudharsan basically comes from the background of a sports family. His father, Bharadwaj R was an international athlete and has represented India at SAF games, Dhaka. His mother, Usha Bharadwaj has also represented her state team in volleyball.

The youngster made the headlines for the first time when he was bought by Chepauk Super Gillies (CSG) for the 2019 season of TNPL. But to some surprise, Sudarsan didn't get any chance to play that year but in the next season, he got the backing from Lyca Kovai Kings (LKK) management and announced himself on this stage with a blistering inning of 83 runs in his debut game.

Before coming into the scene at TNPL, the 20-year-old was playing for Alwarpet CC in the Tamil Nadu State Division 1 tournament and was the top run-scorer for his team. 

The elegant batter was a part of the Tamil Nadu squad in the 2021 edition of the SMAT that won the finals against Karnataka. He made his List-A debut in December 2021.

Sudharsan got the opportunity to showcase his talent in one of the greatest leagues in the world as the Gujarat Titans franchise bagged him during the mega-auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, at his base price of INR 20 lakhs. And he did not disappoint, showing promise from the first season itself, scoring a fifty versus Punjab Kings.

While there was still not much focus on Sudharsan, he garnered all the possible attention with his exploits in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022, where he amassed 610 runs, including three hundreds and two fifties, at an average of 76.25 and a strike-rate of 111.93.

In his debut First-Class game, he smashed a century against Hyderabad. In his second match, he again tonked a ton versus Andhra Pradesh, ending the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 with 572 runs in 12 innings.

Then came the big IPL 2023. Till the final, he was being tipped as just another youngster. However, on the D-Day, he blasted a 47-ball 96, earning plaudits for his heroics.

He went to England to play for Surrey in the County Championship Division 1 2023 and even scored a fifty in his second-last appearance there.

On the back of an outstanding run in domestic cricket, Sudharsan was called up to the Indian team for South Africa ODI series scheduled in December 2023. While opening batting, he scored back-to-back half-centuries in his first two games in the Indian colours, showcasing his top-notch temperament.

The southpaw continued his good form in IPL 2024. He ended the tournament as the leading run-scorer for Gujarat Titans. Sudharsan smashed 527 runs in 12 innings.

However, with too many options available for Team India at the top of the order, he failed to get into the mix for the T20 World Cup 2024.

(As of May 2024)