Another Day, Another Telugu Boy Shines in IPL!

In what could be considered an interesting turn of events, Andhra Pradesh has made it a habit to deliver quality players to the Indian cricket scene consistently. After the emergence of previous generation cricketers like Ambati Rayudu, Hanuma Vihari, KS Bharath and others, a new crop of young talent is splurging now. 

The onset of the likes of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Tilak Varma appears to have instigated a fresh crop of youngsters to look up and aim high. Incidentally, young fast bowler Satyanarayana Raju happened to debut for Mumbai Indians this year. 

Shaik Rasheed, the talented young cricketer from the Guntur region of Andhra Pradesh, made his much-anticipated IPL debut for Chennai Super Kings last night. Having been part of the CSK squad since 2023, he was acquired again in the 2025 auction for ₹30 lakh. Rasheed made a solid start to his IPL career, scoring 22 runs off 17 balls, giving fans a glimpse of his potential on the big stage.

Interestingly, Rasheed opened the innings for Chennai Super Kings in the game against Lucknow last night and gave them a solid start. He scored a quickfire, 27 from 19 balls, and this is exactly what Chennai needed in the powerplay. 

Though the innings was relatively short-lived, the talented young Telugu boy managed to grab the eyeballs with his impactful performance. It should not be too big of his surprise, if Chennai decides to continue with him as the opener for the upcoming games as well. 

Andhra Pradesh IT Minister, Nara Lokesh tweeted on this matter as he wrote “Congratulations to our own Shaik Rasheed from Guntur on making his #IPL debut for Chennai today! From traveling 40 km daily for training to shining as U-19 India vice-captain, his journey is one of grit and passion. Proud moment for Andhra Pradesh! Wishing him a stellar IPL career ahead.”