Shivam Sharma slams double, eyes return to Delhi team

New Delhi: Shivam Sharma, the Delhi off-spinner who gained fame with a five-wicket haul during the last Ranji Trophy and first-class game Virat Kohli played in his career (2025), had to sit out of Delhi team for almost the entire last season. After playing Delhi's first Ranji game against Hyderabad, he was laid low by a hamstring injury.

The bright end in the 2024-25 season had pitched him as Delhi's frontline spinner and a solution to their spin bowling problems, but that injury blew all his aspirations into thin air.

This season, however, he is making a comeback. Not with the ball, but with the bat.

On Friday, he hammered 203 not out (124 balls, 13x6s, 20x4s), and took Central Secretariat to an 83-run win over Young Association CC in a DDCA 40-over league game. Thanks to his double, Central Secretariat made 356/4 in 40 overs. Young Association were dismissed for 273 in 35.3 overs. The 32-year-old scored 505 runs in nine innings of DDCA T20 League with a century. He also took eight wickets in 10 innings. In the 40-over league, he has made 477 runs in nine innings and taken 10 wickets. Apart from this double, he has a 117 not out.

"The pitch (at the LetsPlay-Sportz Complex in Chhawla) was initially moist and helped the pace bowlers. Slowly, we built a couple of partnerships," said Sharma.

Sharma completed his century around the 30th over.

"When I reached 117 in the 34th over, I began hitting out. I needed 50 in the last two overs to get to the double and got them in 11 balls."

"I will try hard to score well after this comeback from injury. I want to return to the Indian Premier League (IPL)."

Sharma, who represented the Outer Delhi Warriors in the Delhi Premier League last season, had last played IPL in the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

"This should be a breakthrough season for me."

Tags : Indian Premier League, IPL, Shivam Sharma, DDCA, cricket, Delhi