Sandeep Sharma's journey with Rajasthan Royals (RR) has been nothing short of a fairy tale. What began as a late entry in 2023 - drafted in as a replacement for the injured Prasidh Krishna - has evolved into a remarkable redemption story after he was one of their retentions ahead of IPL 2025.
Sandeep's redemption has been down to two key developments. He is no longer just a powerplay specialist reliant on swing - he has evolved into a versatile bowler who can also deliver in the middle overs and at the death. There is also his expanded arsenal: a cross-seam length ball into the pitch that proves effective on two-paced surfaces, and the skill to nail wide yorkers with precision.
On Saturday, the first of those variations helped him finish with 2 for 21 in four overs - two at the top and two at the death - as RR defended 205 against Punjab Kings (PBKS) comfortably.
"When I came here two years back, I had a discussion with the management and they told me what they were looking [at] from me," Sandeep said in a press conference after the game. "They told me my role. From there, I started working on myself. They told me they were not looking at two-three overs from me [upfront], and then when I was back home, I was practicing this.
"They started using me after fourth-fifth over, when the ball gets older. And I also started preparing like that. I think it's a result of good preparation. Obviously, when you want to play, you need to grow, right? That's what I thought, that I needed to grow. I can't ask the captain to give me the new ball all the time.
"If you're playing in a team where [Jofra] Archer is playing, and he's so good with the new ball, and you have to play in the XI, you have to bring something [else] to the table. That's what I did - I went back to my hometown, into the nets and practiced all these deliveries. And I'm so lucky and happy that it's coming off so nicely."
Sandeep showcased his death-overs mastery in the 17th and 19th overs, blending yorker-length deliveries with cross-seam variations to stifle a well-set Shashank Singh, who has earned his stripes in the IPL as a finisher. His control and execution were on full display as he delivered seven yorkers in those two overs, giving Shashank no room to innovate.
He also outsmarted the in-form Suryansh Shedge, fresh off a strong Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign, with a well-disguised slower ball that angled away from his hitting arc. It was a clinic in precision and tactical acumen.
"That is a very deadly combo - one guy bowling around 150kph and another bowling around 115," Samson said of Archer and Sandeep. "I think we should cut a cake on that, maybe," when reminded that Sandeep had clocked 130kph too. "I can trust them with pressure overs. We all love it when he [Archer] bowls those quick overs. Sandy has been doing it for me for the past few years. He is one of the best guys in India who bowls both in the powerplay and death overs."
Sandeep revealed that he tailored his plans based on feedback from the RR batters about the Mullanpur surface, which hasn't been an ally for PBKS, who now have lost five out of their six games here.
"Because we bowled in the second half, we had an advantage of taking some feedback from our batters, that was massively helpful," Sandeep said. "Bowling back of a length, hitting top of off was our plan, as hitting was tough. That's what our spinners also tried to do. Balls bowled on the back of a length were skidding and keeping low.
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"We observed this when we batted, we read the pitch faster than the other team. During the time out, we spoke to the batters and took feedback from them on what's tough to hit, what kind of deliveries are tough to convert into boundary balls, and we cut down on those balls on this wicket."
Sandeep was also full of praise for Archer. After conceding 109 across 6.3 wicketless overs in his first two games, Archer has had 4 for 38 from seven in the next two. On Saturday, Archer was high on pace, hitting the high 140s and early 150s every delivery in his first over that accounted for two wickets, including Shreyas Iyer's.
"In the first two matches, your nerves are there. But we always knew he's world-class, the skill he brings to the table or into the game is totally different, very few bring that," Sandeep said of Archer. "The management had confidence the day he gets that one over, one wicket or two good overs, that will boost his confidence.
"He's one of the toughest bowlers to face or play. It was just our fourth game; with more games, he'll get better and better. Earlier, when he went for runs, his length was different, now his lengths are different. That's what champions do, they change quickly [depending on] what is needed and that's what he did."