Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) pacer Tushar Deshpande paid homage to MS Dhoni after being bought by Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The fast bowler acknowledged he would miss the former CSK captain, who supported him through both good and bad times.
Deshpande (29), a domestic cricketer for Mumbai, played for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL from 2022 to 2024. Over 31 matches with CSK, he took 39 wickets at an average of 26.94 and an economy rate of 9.39, with his best performance being 4-27.
After being released by CSK ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, the right-arm pacer was acquired by Rajasthan Royals for ₹6.50 crore. In an interview with Mid-Day following his sale to RR, Deshpande thanked Dhoni for shaping his growth as a bowler and shared his thoughts:
“I will miss Mahi bhai a lot. He stood by me during the worst and best of times.”
He further added:
“Now that RR have shown great faith in me, I will give my 100 percent in each game. I am very excited to join the new team and play under Sanju Samson and learn a lot from Rahul Dravid, who has done wonders for India.”
Deshpande recently underwent ankle surgery in London and is currently undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore, with plans to return to action in early 2025.
Tushar Deshpande’s IPL Record:
Since making his IPL debut in 2020, Deshpande has played 36 matches, taking 42 wickets at an average of 29.60 and an economy rate of 9.65. The pacer was with Delhi Capitals (DC) in 2020 and 2021 before joining Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
At CSK, he took 21 wickets in 17 matches at an average of 26.86, contributing to their IPL title win in 2023. In the 2024 season, he continued to impress, claiming 17 wickets in 13 games at an average of 24.94.
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