Star performer in Ranji Trophy tapped to fill vacant IPL squad spot
Hey there! Let's dive into the latest cricket news about the fresh face gracing the IPL scene in 2025: Harsh Dubey from Vidarbha. This 22-year-old all-rounder, known for his left-arm spin, is about to make his IPL debut as a replacement player after an impressive stint in the 2024/25 Ranji Trophy.
During that season, Dubey left his mark with a record-breaking performance, finishing with the most wickets in a single edition of the tournament. He took a whopping 69 wickets at an average of just 16.98, with an impressive seven five-wicket hauls. He also managed seven fifties in 32 first-class innings.
Who's Dubey Replacing?
Interestingly, Dubey's IPL debut comes as a replacement for another player, R Smaran of Karnataka. Initially, Sunrisers Hyderabad had replaced Adam Zampa with Smaran. However, due to his own injury, Smaran's spot has now opened up for Dubey to seize his first IPL contract. In the 2025 season of the Ranji Trophy, Smaran averaged 64.50 with two centuries.
Sunrisers Hyderabad's Stance
Currently, Sunrisers Hyderabad finds themselves in a tricky spot, almost out of contention for the playoffs. They have managed to scrape together only six points in 10 matches, leaving only a slim mathematical chance for them to make it to the playoffs.
Dubey's T20 Performance
With limited T20 experience, Dubey has managed to pick up nine wickets in 16 matches at an economy of 6.78, and scored 19 runs at a strike-rate of 90.7. He made his T20 debut in the 2021/22 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and continued to appear in the next two editions of the tournament. His last T20 game came in December 2024, where he batted at No.8 and dismissed Suryakumar Yadav during the Vidarbha v Mumbai match.
Image credits:Harsh Dubey/Instagram
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Related tags:
- Dubey, the young all-rounder from Vidarbha, is set to make his IPL debut in 2025, replacing R Smaran of Karnataka in the Sunrisers Hyderabad team.
- Despite Dubey's impressive record in the Ranji Trophy, where he took 69 wickets and scored seven fifties in a single season, he only managed nine wickets in 16 T20 matches.
- Interestingly, Dubey's IPL debut comes at a critical time for Sunrisers Hyderabad, who are struggling in the tournament, with only six points from 10 matches, making their playoff chances slim.
