IPL 2026 | 'Jai Shree Ram … ': A note, a prayer, and Raghu Sharma's 15-year wait
Mumbai Indians' Raghu Sharma celebrated his maiden IPL wicket with an emotional message, marking the end of a grueling 15-year journey. The leg-spinner, who overcame injuries and career setbacks, dedicated his breakthrough moment to his faith and the franchise that gave him a second chance. This personal triumph overshadowed even a vintage Rohit Sharma performance.
NEW DELHI: It was a night for survival for the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in IPL 2026 against the Lucknow Super Giants. And with a vintage Rohit Sharma show, and MI’s standout batter this season Ryan Rickelton in tow, MI brushed aside LSG to keep their IPL playoff chances alive, even if hanging by a thread. But the highlight of the night wasn’t necessarily Rohit’s roaring return from injury, or even Nicholas Pooran’s blistering half-century after a prolonged lean patch.
It was Raghu Sharma’s emotional gesture. A simple return catch. A first IPL wicket.
And then - a piece of paper. Playing only his second IPL game, Sharma dismissed LSG debutant Akshat Raghuwanshi for 11. But the celebration, as is often the case with many wicket celebrations, wasn’t instinctive aggression.
Instead, it was deliberate and deeply personal. After the wicket, Sharma held up a note - bringing back memories of Dinesh Ramdin’s “Talk na Viv” message, and closer home, Abhishek Sharma’s similar IPL hundred celebration last season. The cameras zoomed in, with even stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav trying, almost quizzically, to read the note.
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