Overcoming Rejection: Suyash Sharma's IPL Debut Story

Before making his IPL debut, the KKR sensation had to overcome rejection during the U-19 trials.

A comeback is always more powerful than a setback. Suyash Sharma had to overcome rejection at the U-19 tryouts before making a stunning debut as an impact player in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. Suyash, a huge discovery for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2023, recently confessed how disappointed he was after failing to reach the U-19 squad.

Sharma was 19 years old when he took three wickets on his IPL debut against Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to set up KKR's surprise victory at Eden Gardens. In an interview with the IPL, the KKR spinner admitted that his non-selection had left him in tears. After coming home, the bright young prodigy shaved his head.

"Last year, I gave trials for U-19 and performed well," Suyash told IPL in an interview. "I wasn't chosen, and then they put out a list between 12:30 and 1 a.m., but I was asleep." I awoke about 3 a.m. and cried for two hours. They said they only wanted to see me bowl once. I got there, but they refused to entertain me. I returned home, cried, and shaved my head. I was quite disappointed. "I couldn't believe that, despite doing well, this was happening to me," Suyash explained.

Earlier this season, he made his IPL debut as an Impact Player, replacing Venkatesh Iyer. In his debut against RCB, Suyash removed Dinesh Karthik (9), Anuj Rawat (1), and Karn Sharma (1).

Interestingly, the KKR bowler had never played in a professional tournament before making his IPL debut at Eden Gardens. "I vowed to improve my skills to the point where they would call me up themselves one day." Then, as my hair began to grow back and my performances improved, I decided to let them be. Suyash said, "The hairstyle suited me, hence the long hair."

The leg-spinner has 10 wickets and an economy rate of 8 in nine outings this year, largely as an Impact Player. Suyash held his own in KKR's devastating defeat to RR, when Yashasvi Jaiswal ravaged pretty much every bowler, and even worried the left-hander with his googlies.