Profile :

Statistics :

Background :

Sarfaraz Khan, an Indian cricketer who competes for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, was born on October 22, 1997. In 2014 and 2016, Sarfaraz Khan represented India at the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup. Sarfaraz Khan plays right-handed bats with aggression, occasionally spins the ball, and keeps the wicket. Sarfaraz Khan was the youngest player to feature in an IPL match when Sarfaraz Khan made his debut for the team RCB in 2015 at the age of just 17 years and 177 days. Sarfaraz Khan was the only uncapped player to be kept by an IPL franchise the very next season. Sarfaraz Khan is currently the fourth-youngest player in the IPL’s history. Sarfaraz Khan was raised in the Mumbai suburbs where Sarfaraz Khan was born. In Azad Maidan, Sarfaraz Khan spent the majority of his boyhood. Sarfaraz Khan’s father first started coaching him when Sarfaraz Khan was a little boy because of his gift for accurate ball timing. Sarfaraz Khan lived in the suburbs and found it difficult to travel to the grounds in the monsoon, so a synthetic pitch was set up next to Sarfaraz Khan’s home so Sarfaraz Khan could practice.

Career :

Sarfaraz Khan rose to prominence in 2009 at the age of 12 when Sarfaraz Khan broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record in the Harris Shield by scoring 439 runs off 421 balls in his maiden game for Rizvi Springfield School. Sarfaraz Khan’s remarkable innings included 56 fours and 12 sixes. Sarfaraz Khan went on to represent the Mumbai Under-19 team and was later selected for the Indian Under-19 team based on Sarfaraz Khan’s impressive performances. In 2013, Sarfaraz Khan played a match-winning knock of 101 runs off 66 balls against South Africa Under-19s, showcasing Sarfaraz Khan’s ability to read the game and play a range of shots. Sarfaraz Khan participated in two Under-19 World Cups, with notable performances in both tournaments. Sarfaraz Khan was the second-highest run-scorer in the 2016 World Cup, accumulating 355 runs at an average of 71. Sarfaraz Khan made his mark in Ranji Trophy as well, scoring a triple century in a match against Uttar Pradesh in January 2020. In the 2022 season of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Sarfaraz Khan also took up wicketkeeping, displaying Sarfaraz Khan’s versatility as a player. In 2011, Sarfaraz Khan faced accusations of being overage during a school cricket tournament. Initially, bone tests indicated that Sarfaraz Khan was 15 years old, contradicting his registered birth date of 13 years old with the Mumbai Cricket Association. However, after undergoing a second advanced test, Sarfaraz Khan’s age aligned with the registered birth date. This controversy affected Sarfaraz Khan emotionally, taking Sarfaraz Khan a couple of months to regain his focus on cricket. In 2015, after leading Mumbai to a victory in the Under-19 championship semi-final, Sarfaraz Khan made offensive gestures toward the selectors, resulting in his exclusion from the team and the withholding of his match fees for two years as a disciplinary measure.

IPL :

Sarfaraz Khan made his debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2015 when Sarfaraz Khan was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for 5 million. At the age of 17, Sarfaraz Khan became the youngest player to participate in an IPL match. In his debut game, Sarfaraz Khan scored 11 runs off 7 balls, but Sarfaraz Khan’s chances to bat were limited in the following matches due to the dominance of Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, and AB de Villiers. However, in a subsequent match against Rajasthan Royals, Sarfaraz Khan outshone the established batsmen, scoring 45 runs off 21 balls. Sarfaraz Khan played a total of 13 matches in the 2015 season, scoring 111 runs at a strike rate of 156.33. In the 2016 season, Sarfaraz Khan made a quick start with a cameo of 35 runs off 10 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Sarfaraz Khan continued to have eventful but short innings throughout the season, earning praise from teammates like Chris Gayle. However, Sarfaraz Khan’s lack of fitness led to him being dropped from the team after playing five matches and scoring 66 runs at a strike rate of 212.90. In 2017, Sarfaraz Khan missed the entire season due to a leg injury. Despite a poor performance in the 2018 season, RCB retained Sarfaraz Khan for the next season, surprising many. However, Sarfaraz Khan failed to make an impact, scoring only 51 runs from six innings. Sarfaraz Khan was eventually released by RCB before the 2019 season and was picked up by Punjab Kings for 2.5 million. Playing alongside former RCB teammates like K L Rahul and Chris Gayle, Sarfaraz Khan scored 180 runs from eight matches in the 2020 season. In the 2022 IPL auction, Sarfaraz Khan was bought by the Delhi Capitals. With Rishabh Pant absent, Sarfaraz Khan had the opportunity to showcase his skills as a wicket-keeper-batsman for the team. This new role came at an opportune time, as India is also looking for a replacement for the injured Rishabh Pant, and Sarfaraz Khan’s potential as a future Team India batsman has been widely discussed. But he did not perform well in the IPL 2023 season leading to his exclusion from the Indian Team.