Sumit Mathur prospers in Ranji season on injury 'blessing'

New Delhi: A couple of months ago, Ayush Doseja put a premature end to Sumit Mathur's Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2026 season after the West Delhi Lions batsman's shot injured his right hand in one of the games. Mathur, who was playing that match as super sub, hadn't featured in the first XI of DPL 2026 till then and that injury ruled him out of the remainder of the tournament.

But then, cricket comes with its pack of uncertainties. Mathur sat with his fractured hand at home for one-and-a-half months. That time away from cricket refreshed him for the Ranji Trophy.

"I had an average performance in the 2025-26 season. And then the injury happened in DPL. It was disappointing. But little did I realise then that the injury would turn into a blessing. I spent time with my family, got plenty of rest and returned to the cricket field refreshed," says the 28-year-old all-rounder to www.thedelhijunction.com who is scoring runs and is the only one besides skipper Ayush Badoni to show consistency with big scores.

On Tuesday, Mathur scored an unbeaten 80 -- he will resume his knock on Wednesday -- as he helped Delhi recover from a precarious 135/5 against Services at the Palam grounds. Interestingly, he added 144 for the sixth wicket with Doseja whose shot had injured him in DPL. The left-handed Doseja, trying to return to form of last year, finally came good with 78.

"There was outside noise. I scored 950 runs last season but this year I haven't started well. In four innings, I couldn't make a single fifty. I was batting well against Bengal. In fact, I was in good touch but was unlucky in dismissals. Today again [I was unlucky], dismissed down the leg side. I had thought I would play a long innings," said Doseja to reporters.

Services had scored 266 in the first innings. This 80 not out by Sumit Mathur comes on the back of his 92 against Gujarat at Palam in Delhi's second match of the season and 150 not out against Jharkhand in Ranchi in the third match of the season. Mathur was dropped for the season opener against Bengal, which Delhi lost, because the pitch was too green to include an spinner. In hindsight, his batting form may have come in handy had he been included.

Nevertheless, his rescue effort with Badoni against Gujarat which helped Delhi get three points, and against Jharkhand, which put them in driver's seat before rain intervened and now this one against Services has made him Delhi's most formidable batter behind Badoni.

Mathur began his career left-arm spin bowling all-rounder.

"After I had scored 92 against Gujarat, coach Vijay Dahiya said, 'you should now also take wickets being an all-rounder'."

But now with Delhi drafting in Aman Chaudhary as the main left-arm spin bowling option over the last two matches, Mathur can relax and focus more on his batting.

Mathur hails from Karala, a village in North West Delhi. It is next door to Ghevra village from where India pacer Harshit Rana hails. Together the two, who were also enrolled at Ganga International School, would travel to Shravan Kumar's academy for practice. Both had also trained under Shravan at the Ganga International School together.

"Harshit and I spent a lot of time together and we'd travel to the academy together too," said Mathur.

Tags : Sumit Mathur, Ayush Doseja, Ranji Trophy, Delhi, cricket, Services, Ayush Badoni