B Sai Sudharsan

Born on October 15, 2001,  Bhardwaj Sai Sudharsan is a top-order batter, who hails from the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He is a left-handed batter and an occasional right-arm leg-break bowler. The 22-year-old represents his home team Tamil Nadu (TN) on the domestic front and plays for the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was also rewarded with an India cap in December 2023 and would be itching to create a permanent spot in the squad.

The Chennai lad is a sweet timer of the ball, consistent with the bat, and has excellent hand-eye coordination. His cool temperament in crunch situations, his ability to soak up pressure, and the added advantage of being a left-hander build on more efficacy for the Indian cricket team. 

B Sai Sudharsan: Along the Years

B Sai Sudharsan Records

• Second-highest run-scorer in TNPL 2021

• Fastest Indian to score 1,000 runs in IPL (25 innings)

• Joint third-fastest to score 1,000 runs in IPL

• Third pair (with Shubman Gill) to score centuries in the same IPL match

• Stitched only the second 200+ run stand for the opening wicket in IPL history with Shubman Gill 

• Stitched the joint-highest partnership for the first wicket in IPL history with Shubman Gill (210 runs)

• Stitched the joint third-highest partnership in IPL history with SHubman Gill (210 runs) 

B Sai Sudharsan Awards and Accolades

• Impact Fielder of the Series award in India’s tour of South Africa (ODI series) in December 2023

• Bishnuram Medhi Trophy for Tamil Nadu Cricket Association’s Cricketer of the Year 2023

B Sai Sudharsan Career

B Sai Sudharsan’s rise to the top as a reliable top-order batter is duly credited to his sole hard work and commitment towards his professional career. He has dominated all formats of the game and has been a standout star for whichever team he has represented.

B Sai Sudharsan Domestic Career

Under the leadership of Team India all-rounder Vijay Shankar, B Sai Sudharsan made his domestic debut for his home team Tamil Nadu against Maharashtra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2021-22 season on November 04, 2021. Coming in at No.3, he scored a valuable 35 off just 18 balls, which included 5 boundaries at a superb strike rate of 184.21.  He also effected a run-out as TN won the match by 12 runs. He was part of the playing XI that won the final against Karnataka but failed to score with the bat.

A month later, Sudharsan made his List-A debut for TN against Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-2022 season in Thumba.  He opened the innings alongside skipper Narayan Jagadeesan and scored a run-a-ball 24 runs. About a year after making his Vijay Hazare Trophy debut, Sudharsan made his first-class (FC) debut for TN against Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 season in Hyderabad on December 13, 2022.

Though the match ended in a draw, the southpaw announced himself with a formidable maiden century on FC debut in the first innings. Opening the innings, he scored 179 runs and was adjudged the ‘Player Of The Match’ on his Ranji Trophy debut. He has a commendable average of 60.69 in List-A cricket and bagged his ODI debut for India in December 2023 on the back of his stellar 50-over record. 

The 21-year-old batter was part of the Chepauk Super Gilles squad in Tamil Nadu Premier League 2019 but did not get a chance to play. He moved to the Lyca Kovai Kings and was the second-leading run-scorer for the Kings in TNPL 2021, amassing 358 runs in 8 innings at a strike rate of 143.77.  After having a good season with the bat in the next edition of TNPL as well, he finished second on the list of most runs and topped the chart for the Kings in TNPL 2023. In the recently concluded TNPL 2024, Sudharsan scored a brilliant century against IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans. He scored an unbeaten 123 off just 56 balls at a strike rate of 219.64.  

After playing a couple of matches for Surrey County Cricket Club in the County Championship Division One in 2023, he renewed his contract by signing up for Surrey once again in 2024.

After helping Surrey win their 22nd County Championship in 2023, he has scored 165 runs in 3 matches in the ongoing County Championship Division One 2024. He scored a maiden County Championship century for Surrey against Northamptonshire and showcased his valiance. 

B Sai Sudharsan IPL Career

The Gujarat Titans roped in B Sai Sudharsan for his base price of INR 20 lakhs at the IPL 2022 mega auction. The Titans would go on to celebrate that decision in what turned out to be a mega steal for the value the Southpaw has added to their squad. He made his IPL debut against Punjab Kings and scored a steady knock of 35 in 30 balls. He had a decent outing in his maiden IPL campaign, scoring 145 runs in 5 innings and being part of the victorious Titans squad that won the IPL 2022 in their very first attempt.  

In IPL 2023, the southpaw had a good season with the bat as he amassed 362 runs in 8 innings at a better strike rate of 141.40. He top-scored in the rain-curtailed thrilling affair against Chennai Super Kings in the final, by smashing 96 off just 47 runs at a strike rate of more than 200. He played without any pressure but missed out on a well-deserved century. Ravindra Jadeja’s final over heroics meant that Sudharsan’s impressive knock went in vain.

He continued to dominate the cash-rich league with his immersive strokeplay in IPL 2024. He was one of the sole bright spots in an otherwise dull campaign for the IPL 2022 champions. The 22-year-old smashed 527 runs in 12 innings and slammed his maiden century against CSK. He scored 103 off just 51 balls and forged a 210-run opening stand with GT skipper Shubman Gill, a joint record for the first wicket held alongside the Lucknow Super Giants’ openers KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock. In the process, he also became the fastest Indian to reach the milestone of 1,000 IPL runs, surpassing the age-old record held by Mumbai Indians’ Sachin Tendulkar and CSK’s Ruturaj Gaikwad jointly. 

B Sai Sudharsan International Career

After scoring a truckload of runs in the domestic circuit, Sai Sudharsan was handed over his international debut. He has sported the Indian jersey in the limited-overs and is a sure-shot asset for the Men in Blue in the future. 

B Sai Sudharsan ODI Career

After boasting an average of 60+ in List-A cricket, Sai Sudharsan earned his maiden international call-up for India’s tour of South Africa in December 2023. With the senior members rested after the culmination of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, Sudharsan made his One-Day International debut in the first ODI in Johannesburg on December 17, 2023. 

After the bowlers ran through the hosts, it was a cakewalk for the Indian batters to chase the innings quite comfortably. The southpaw opened the innings with Ruturaj Gaikwad and scored a breezy half-century on his maiden outing, which was filled with few elegant strokes. He continued his impressive form in the next ODI as well by top-scoring India’s innings with 62 as India was bowled out for a paltry 211.

B Sai Sudharsan T20I Career

With a few of the seniors retiring from the shortest format and basking on the glory of ending an 11-year ICC title drought by winning the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) named a young squad to tour Zimbabwe in July 2024. B Sai Sudharsan was one among them and got the opportunity to make his T20I debut in the second T20I on July 07, 2024.

However, opener Abhishek Sharma’s blazing maiden century, Ruturaj Gaikwad’s half-century playing the second fiddle, and Rinku Singh’s smashing finish ensured that Sudharsan did not receive a chance to showcase his T20 skillset. It was his only T20I so far and he is yet to bat in an innings for the Men in Blue.

B Sai Sudharsan Under-19 Career

After piling up two unbeaten centuries in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy 2019, B Sai Sudharsan was drafted into the India-A squad for the BCCI Under-19 Challenger Trophy held in the 2019-20 season. He was instrumental in India-A defeating India-B in the final, by scoring a match-winning 74 runs.

B Sai Sudharsan’s Family

According to The New Indian Express, B Sai Sudharsan completed his degree at Vivekananda College, Chennai. His father R Bhardwaj was an international athlete who has represented India at the South Asian Federation games held in Dhaka. Usha Bhardwaj, his mother, has played volleyball for Tamil Nadu at the state level. With sport running in his blood, Sudharsan wanted to pursue his passion for playing professional cricket and has been awarded for the hard yards.