Pacer Sandeep Sharma recalled Preity Zinta’s gesture during IPL 2017, which helped him win the Player of the Match award in a memorable game against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Sandeep made his IPL debut with Punjab Kings in 2013 and played five years in his first stint at the franchise. His final season in 2017 was his best, as he picked up 17 wickets at an economy of 8.29.
Although he was released before IPL 2018 and later joined Sunrisers Hyderabad, his 2017 spell remains one of the most memorable of his career. Sandeep rejoined Punjab in 2022 before being retained by Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2025.
Dismissing Kohli, ABD, and Gayle in Bengaluru
Sandeep fondly remembered the game against RCB, where he dismissed Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle with the new ball. Initially, Axar Patel was declared Player of the Match, but Punjab Kings’ co-owner Preity Zinta felt otherwise.
“We were playing a match in Bengaluru against RCB. And I had taken three wickets with the new ball. Virat, ABD and Chris Gayle. So in that match, actually, the Player of the Match was supposed to be Axar Patel, who had also taken two wickets in that match and it was a low-scoring game. In the last over, he had scored 25 runs [19 runs] and scored 38 runs [in total]. But the Player of the Match was his, if you look at it. So Preity ma’am was there and she told Ravi Shastri there that the Player of the Match should be Sandy, he has picked three big wickets,” he said on Crictracker.
Axar’s Reaction and Sandeep’s Gesture
Sandeep revealed that he offered the award to Axar Patel after the presentation, but the all-rounder acknowledged his impact on the game.
“And actually, they gave me the Player of the Match. That was one sweet thing. And I actually went and offered it to Axar. But, he told me that these three wickets were very important. Otherwise, 138 runs wouldn’t have been defended anywhere,” he added.
Rajasthan Royals Retention Ahead of IPL 2025
After moving to Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018 and then returning to Punjab Kings in 2022, Sandeep Sharma’s IPL journey came full circle when Rajasthan Royals retained him ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. Last season, he played 10 matches and picked up nine wickets before a finger fracture ruled him out mid-season.
Stay tuned for all the latest Cricket news, match highlights, player analysis and viral moments!