IPL 2022: Here's WHY everyone's talking about Gujarat Titans' debutant Sai Sudharsan

One team that's on a roll in the Indian Premier League (IPL), 2022 will be this year's debutants Gujarat Titans (GT), who have won all the matches they have played so far. Last night too (April 8), they defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 6 wickets at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.

While fans are praising the Hardik Pandya-led side for their winning streak, one lad that grabbed everyone's attention was Sai Sudharsan, who made his IPL debut for Gujarat Titans.

The young lad had got a chance to play in the XI after Vijay Shankar was made to sit out with a back spasm. The batter looked promising as he smashed 35 runs before being caught by Mayank Agarwal off Rahul Chahar. In his innings, he hit four fours and one maximum.

Sudharsan goes for 35. Well played, #TitanYoungStar!

#PBKSvGT | #AavaDe | #TATAIPL | #SeasonOfFirsts

— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) April 8, 2022

So who is Sai Sudharsan?

The 20-year-old is a left-handed batter from Tamil Nadu and was picked up by Titans at his base price of INR 20 lakh (USD 26,000 approx.). 

He was the breakout star of Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2021 as he finished as the second-highest run-scorer smashing 358 runs from eight innings. He had an average of 71.60 and a strike rate of 143.77, which had helped his side Lyca Kovai Kings reach the Eliminator.

Talking about his family, Sai Sudharsan's father, Bharadwaj is an Indian athlete who represented India at the South Asian (SAF) Games. As for his mother, Usha Bharadwaj played volleyball for Tamil Nadu.

In his age group, Sai Sudharsan has quite a reputation for being a good run-getter for Tamil Nadu. He even opened the inning for India A in the 2019-20 U19 Challenger Trophy alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal.