Rajasthan Royals (RR) pacer Sandeep Sharma shared a memorable moment involving Punjab Kings (PBKS) co-owner Preity Zinta from the 2017 IPL season. Sandeep, who spent his first five IPL seasons (2013–2017) with PBKS, delivered a sensational performance in one of his final matches for the franchise against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Chasing a modest total of 138, PBKS secured a thrilling 19-run win, largely thanks to Sandeep’s 3/22 in four overs. The right-arm pacer struck early, dismissing three of RCB’s top batsmen—Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, and AB de Villiers—at a low cost. Despite his match-winning effort, his teammate Axar Patel was on the verge of being named Player of the Match for his all-round contribution of 38 runs and three wickets.
In a conversation with Crictracker, Sandeep recounted how Preity Zinta stepped in to reverse the decision in his favour.
“We were playing against RCB in Bengaluru. I took three key wickets—Virat, ABD, and Chris Gayle. Initially, Axar Patel was set to be Player of the Match, but Preity ma’am told Ravi Shastri it should be me for those big wickets,” he said.
Sandeep further added:
“And actually, they gave me the Player of the Match. That was one sweet thing. And I actually went and offered it to Axar. But, he told me that these three wickets were very important. Otherwise, 138 runs wouldn’t have been defended anywhere.”
Sandeep Sharma picks an Indian in his top five greatest pacers
Sandeep Sharma named two Asians, Jasprit Bumrah and Wasim Akram, among his top five pacers of all time. He completed the list with England’s James Anderson, South Africa’s Dale Steyn, and Australia’s Glenn McGrath. Anderson ranks third in all-time international wickets, claiming 991 dismissals in 401 matches.
McGrath and Akram sit fifth and sixth with 949 and 916 wickets, respectively, while Steyn ended his career just shy of 700 wickets in 265 games. Bumrah is the only active player on Sandeep’s list, having taken 457 wickets in 207 matches so far.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.