Rising Star Harsh Dubey Makes IPL Debut Days After India ‘A’ Call-Up
Harsh Dubey, 22, is currently experiencing the highs of his cricketing journey. Just days after being selected for the India ‘A’ squad heading to England in June, the Vidarbha left-arm spinner made his Indian Premier League debut.
He was included in the SunRisers Hyderabad playing XI for their away match against Lucknow Super Giants on Monday, 19 May.
Travis Head Replaced by Dubey
Harsh stepped into the squad in place of Australian opener Travis Head, who was unavailable for the match after rejoining the team late due to a COVID-19 infection.
Captain Pat Cummins confirmed Head was travelling with the team, but the franchise opted not to hasten his return.
Dubey, who went unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction, was later brought into the SunRisers Hyderabad setup as an injury replacement for R. Smaran.
A skilled left-arm spinner who can contribute with the bat, Harsh rose to prominence with his exceptional performance in the 2024–25 Ranji Trophy season.
Record-Breaking Ranji Trophy Season
During the domestic season, Harsh claimed 69 wickets, setting a new record for the most wickets in a single Ranji Trophy season. He surpassed the previous record of 68 wickets set by Ashutosh Aman in 2018–19.
Following this, Dubey was playing in the First Division League in Chennai. However, his participation was cut short when SunRisers Hyderabad signed him as a replacement player on 5 May.
Debut Delayed by IPL Suspension
Although signed earlier, Harsh did not get an opportunity to play before the Indian Premier League was suspended due to escalating cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan.
Once the tournament resumed, Dubey finally earned his debut in SunRisers Hyderabad’s first match post-resumption.
He debuted alongside Atharva Taide, who was introduced as an Impact Substitute in place of Jaydev Unadkat.
Strong First-Class Stats, Developing in White-Ball Formats
Since debuting for Vidarbha in December 2022, Harsh Dubey has played 18 first-class matches and has taken 97 wickets at an impressive average of 19.88.
Despite these strong red-ball statistics, his performances in white-ball formats are still evolving.
In List A cricket, he has taken 21 wickets from 20 matches. In T20s, Dubey has 9 wickets from 16 games, with a commendable economy rate of 6.78.
Departure for England with India ‘A’
With SunRisers Hyderabad no longer in playoff contention, Harsh will now join the first batch of India ‘A’ players traveling to England. Under the captaincy of Abhimanyu Easwaran, the team is scheduled to play two four-day matches in England.
Additionally, they will participate in an intra-squad fixture against the Indian senior Test side. The Test team will begin its five-match series in England starting 20 June.
SunRisers Hyderabad Playing XI for LSG Fixture
In the match against Lucknow Super Giants, SunRisers Hyderabad fielded the following XI:
Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Kamindu Mendis, Pat Cummins (C), Harshal Patel, Harsh Dubey (on IPL debut), Zeeshan Ansari, and Eshan Malinga.
A Promising Future
Harsh Dubey’s debut and India ‘A’ call-up mark a promising chapter in his young career.
From setting records in domestic cricket to donning the IPL jersey and heading to England for national duties, Dubey’s upward trajectory signals a bright future for the talented spinner.
