Every season, the Indian Premier League changes lives. It’s where raw talent meets the global spotlight, and unknown names become national talking points overnight. For some, it’s more than just a tournament; it’s the route to wearing the dream of many, an Indian jersey. Last season, one such story rose above the noise.
A calm presence at the crease, a player who let his bat do the talking, Sai Sudharsan didn’t just participate in IPL 2025; he owned it. An Orange Cap, the Emerging Player of the Season, and suddenly, the whispers turned into a call for his maiden selection for India’s Test squad against England.
From Tamil Nadu’s domestic circuit to the biggest stage, Sudharsan’s rise wasn’t just impressive; it felt inevitable.
But cricket has its own way to even surprise the greats of the game.
Sudharsan suddenly found his momentum shifting. Not too long ago, he was being spoken about as the next big thing in Indian cricket. But the England tour didn’t quite go to plan, just one fifty in four innings and suddenly, the conversation started to change. That phase carried on into the West Indies and South Africa series, where his highest was 87 in five innings.
He also put a modest score of 13 in the opening game of the season against Punjab Kings, bringing his form into the spotlight.
Many questioning the solution may not lie in IPL alone and going back to domestic cricket is where all greats are made.
Former domestic stalwart Priyank Panchal summed it up well: “Sai Sudharsan looked like a million bucks last season, but something has been off about him since the England tour. Maybe he needs to go through an all-format domestic grind like Devdutt Padikkal and rediscover his form.”
And that’s where the bigger question arises, is IPL enough to bring back his best or look for answers somewhere else?
This is where the conversation shifts.
Often overlooked in the shadow of franchise leagues like the IPL, domestic cricket remains the true space for a rebuild. It’s where technique and grit are tested, where players return to the basics that the fast-paced IPL rarely allows.
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For a player with the technique and work ethic like Sudharsan, the ability doesn’t appear overnight. The trust remains to ensure he finds his rhythm again and is not defined by just one good or bad innings in the IPL. It is about refining his approach under the guidance of great players and coaches, but he believes in his own abilities, which are not lost but waiting to be rediscovered.
Hayden backs Sai Sudharsan
Meanwhile, despite the recent struggles, Matthew Hayden, batting coach of Gujarat Titans, backed Sudharsan ahead of the first game in IPL 2026. Drawing a powerful comparison, Hayden said, “Ricky Ponting was one of the hardest working cricketers that I came across in my time. Sai Sudharsan would be a multiple of two, as to what Ricky did.”