Who is Shaik Rasheed? Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan undone as IPL debutant reads them like a book during LSG vs CSK
Making his Indian Premier League debut on Sunday, Shaik Rasheed showcased some brilliant shots and strokeplay against Lucknow Super Giants. The 20-year-old opened the run-chase for CSK, alongwith Rachin Ravindra. Although, he was playing in his first ever IPL game, he looked like a veteran as he took on Avesh Khan in the second over, smacking the pacer for three fours. (LSG vs CSK, IPL 2025 Live Score)
He didn’t just stop with Avesh, and continued his destruction on Shardul Thakur in the next over, smacking the experienced India pacer for three fours too. His knock saw him also hit Digvesh Rathi for a four in the fourth over, but his blitz came to an end in the fifth over.
Receiving a wider short delivery from Avesh, he tried to go for a pull shot, but ended up misdirecting it high into the sky to Pooran at midwicket for a simple catch. It was a sudden end to his knock, but it was enough to establish his name as an upcoming star in Indian cricket, as he walked back to the dugout, having registered 27 off 19 balls, smacking six fours in the process. On his departure, CSK reached 52/1 in 4.5 overs.
Rasheed replaced Devon Conway in the CSK playing XI, which also saw Jamie Overton come in for R Ashwin. Ruturaj Gaikwad’s absence was felt against KKR in their previous fixture as CSK were thrashed in MS Dhoni’s return as skipper. Gaikwad has suffered a season-ending injury, fracturing his elbow, and the captaincy role has been once again given to Dhoni.
Who is Shaik Rasheed?
Rasheed is originally from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, and plays for their state team domestically. He was India’s vice-captain during the 2022 U-19 World Cup, which they won. He has been with CSK since 2023.
During the U-19 World Cup, he registered 201 runs in four matches and was India’s third-highest run-scorer. He has also registered 1204 First Class runs in 19 fixtures at an average of 46.04. Meanwhile, he has also played in 17 T20s, managing 352 runs at 29.33 and 127.07 strike rate.
