The Ranjan household in Bihar went into a celebratory mood when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) lifted the paddle for Sarthak during the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi. A top-order batter by trait, Ranjan's selection in the world's richest league marks a significant milestone in his own career and also for all the aspiring cricketers back in his state of Bihar.
In fact, Ranjan is the latest entrant in the list of Bihar players who are making a name for themselves at the top level after the likes of Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep and Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The 29-year-old will now get a chance to rub shoulders with the likes of Cameron Green, Ajinkya Rahane in the squad while also getting the guidance of mentor Dwayne Bravo, assistant coach Shane Watson and others.
Who is Sarthak Ranjan?
Born in Bihar, Ranjan comes from a politics household and migrated to Delhi in search for better opportunities in cricket. He is the son of Pappu Yadav, Member of Parliament (MP) representing Purnia constituency in Bihar. Ranjan played for Delhi age group teams before making it to the senior side in 2017, thus making his Ranji Trophy debut.
He made his List A debut in 2017 and T20 debut a year earlier. However, despite making his Delhi debut almost a decade back, Ranjan found himself only in two first-class games, four List A games and five T20s. Ranjan was bought for at his base price of ₹30 lakhs.
While it is yet to known why Ranjan's domestic career was limited to just 11 matches in the last decade, he certainly made it a point to keep himself fit through club matches. His biggest break came earlier this year when Ranjan was picked by North Delhi Strikers in the Delhi Premier League.
Sarthak Ranjan's turning point
In his debut season, Ranjan impressed everyone with his clean strike and power-hitting abilities as the right-hander amassed 449 runs in nine games at a strike rate of 146.73. In fact, Ranjan also scored a hundred against New Delhi Tigers. Notably, Ranjan will have his North Delhi Strikers captain Harshit Rana at KKR.
He finished as the second-highest run scorer in DPL and showed both consistency and attacking intent. Ranjan also spoke about his former India and Delhi cricketer Gautam Gambhir, who has been a brotherly figure for him in his career. “In Delhi, it's always have been Gautam bhaiya. Looking at him, talking to him and sharing my thoughts with him is like talking to the school of cricket,” Ranjan had said in an interview.
