Who is Punjab Kings batter Ashutosh Sharma? Decoding his stats
Ashutosh Sharma was the top scorer for Punjab Kings against Rajasthan Royals in Match 27 of the Indian Premier League 2023-24 season on Saturday. He came in when PBKS were 103/6 after 16.1 overs. Ashutosh slammed a 31-run knock from 16 balls and his exploits helped Punjab get to 147/8 in 20 overs. He has proved to be a solid customer for the Kings.
Solid effort from the blade of Ashutosh
PBKS stared down the barrel after losing six wickets and were in for all sorts of problems. Impact player Ashutosh came in and hit the ball cleanly to take his side close to the 150-run mark. He was dismissed from the final ball.
Quality knocks in three successive matches
Ashutosh made his IPL debut this season in Punjab's match against Gujarat Titans. He smashed 31 from 17 balls in a 43-run stand alongside Shashank Singh to help his side chase down 200. In the next match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Ashutosh scored 33* from 15 balls as Punjab lost by two runs in a chase of 183. And now, he hit a 16-ball 31.
Unique tally for Ashutosh in IPL 2024
As per Cricbuzz, Ashutosh has scored 85 runs from just 36 balls with a strike rate of 236.11 in overs 18-20 this season. It's the third-highest number of runs after Dinesh Karthik (91 from 35) and Heirich Klaasen (86 from 31).
Massive strike rate of 197.69 in T20s
Ashutosh has averaged 47.50 from three matches, having scored 95 runs from 48 balls. His strike rate is a phenomenal 197.91. Notably, Ashutosh has smashed six sixes and seven fours so far. As per ESPNcricinfo, overall in the 20-over format, Ashutosh owns 514 runs from 18 matches at 32.12. His strike rate is 197.69. He owns 46 fours and 36 sixes.
A century on his FC debut
Ashutosh made his First-Class debut for the Railways in 2024 against Gujarat in January. In four FC matches, he owns 268 runs at 38.28. Ashutosh smoked a brilliant 123 from just 84 balls on debut. He hit 12 fours and eight sixes (SR: 146.42). He scored a 28-ball 31 in the second innings. Railways won the match by 184 runs.
Ashutosh is yet to get going in the 50-over format
Ashutosh made his debut in List A cricket for his home state Madhya Pradesh back in 2019 against Rajasthan. He moved to Railways thereafter. In 7 List A matches, the promising batter owns 56 runs at 9.33 with a best of 21.
Ashutosh was bought for his base price by PBKS
Born in 1998 in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh, the 25-year-old Ashutosh was picked up by Punjab Kings for his base price of Rs. 20 lakh at the IPL 2024 auction in December. Punjab have a serious player in their ranks. Ashutosh has shown a lot of temperament and finesse with his big shots. He looks like someone who is an agile finisher in this format.
