IPL 2026: Ashok Sharma eyes India after making a fast start for Gujarat Titans Rajasthan pacer Ashok Sharma has packed a remarkable rise into a short span – from his maiden T20 season for his State side to finishing as the leading wicket-taker in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and now making his IPL debut with Gujarat Titans (GT) and having delivered the fastest ball of the ongoing season (154.2 kph).
With his trajectory sharply on the upswing, Ashok said his ultimate goal is clear: to represent India.
Under GT head coach Ashish Nehra, the focus has been less on outright speed and more on execution. “He knows I bowl fast. His thing is just to bowl in the right areas and focus on what improvements you can make. Pace, I can bowl anytime,” Ashok said over an online interview with journalists on Friday.
Interactions within the setup, particularly with senior pacer Ishant Sharma, have also shaped his development. “I had a long talk with him about what and how to do, and the things I can work on. He also worked on my bowling,” Ashok said.
“I believe more in my back-of-the-hand slower one and yorker,” he said of his go-to options at the death.
ALSO READ: ‘He gave up his dream for mine’ — Rajasthan’s Ashok Sharma repays brother’s faith
On the jump to the IPL level, he pointed to the unforgiving nature of elite cricket. “The margin is very small. There you can get away with making mistakes, here you cannot.”
His grounding lies in the ecosystem at Rajasthan’s Aravali Cricket Club, where a culture of shared learning has helped produce emerging talent. Founded by the late Rajasthan cricketer Vivek Yadav, the academy has nurtured some of the young IPL talent, including Akash Singh (LSG), Kartik Sharma (CSK), and Mukul Choudhary (LSG).
“Akash Singh was the first one who played IPL. Seeing him, everyone felt their brother was playing and started following him.” Ashok added that he “practices together” with peers Mukul and Kartik, exchanging ideas and learning through constant conversation. “We spoke with Akash bhaiyya about how it was there in the IPL, and tried practicing accordingly.”
Published on Apr 10, 2026
#IPL #Ashok #Sharma #eyes #India #making #fast #start #Gujarat #Titans
Rajasthan pacer Ashok Sharma has packed a remarkable rise into a short span – from his maiden T20 season for his State side to finishing as the leading wicket-taker in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and now making his IPL debut with Gujarat Titans (GT) and having delivered the fastest ball of the ongoing season (154.2 kph).
With his trajectory sharply on the upswing, Ashok said his ultimate goal is clear: to represent India.
Under GT head coach Ashish Nehra, the focus has been less on outright speed and more on execution. “He knows I bowl fast. His thing is just to bowl in the right areas and focus on what improvements you can make. Pace, I can bowl anytime,” Ashok said over an online interview with journalists on Friday.
Interactions within the setup, particularly with senior pacer Ishant Sharma, have also shaped his development. “I had a long talk with him about what and how to do, and the things I can work on. He also worked on my bowling,” Ashok said.
“I believe more in my back-of-the-hand slower one and yorker,” he said of his go-to options at the death.
ALSO READ: ‘He gave up his dream for mine’ — Rajasthan’s Ashok Sharma repays brother’s faith
On the jump to the IPL level, he pointed to the unforgiving nature of elite cricket. “The margin is very small. There you can get away with making mistakes, here you cannot.”
His grounding lies in the ecosystem at Rajasthan’s Aravali Cricket Club, where a culture of shared learning has helped produce emerging talent. Founded by the late Rajasthan cricketer Vivek Yadav, the academy has nurtured some of the young IPL talent, including Akash Singh (LSG), Kartik Sharma (CSK), and Mukul Choudhary (LSG).
“Akash Singh was the first one who played IPL. Seeing him, everyone felt their brother was playing and started following him.” Ashok added that he “practices together” with peers Mukul and Kartik, exchanging ideas and learning through constant conversation. “We spoke with Akash bhaiyya about how it was there in the IPL, and tried practicing accordingly.”
Published on Apr 10, 2026
![Brandon Aiyuk’s 49ers divorce keeps getting uglier Brandon Aiyuk’s war of words with the San Francisco 49ers reached new heights on Tuesday.In a video posted to social media, Aiyuk blasted the organization as “stupid” for paying him, and “mad” at themselves for how the team was handling the situation.The video came after Aiyuk posted one over the weekend, where he called the 49ers “little-ass boys” who needed to “stop running from the bill.”The two videos are the wide receiver’s first lengthy public comments since the team placed him on the reserve/left team list back in December of last year. Aiyuk has not played in a game for the 49ers since midway through the 2024 season, when he suffered a torn ACL.Prior to the 2024 campaign, Aiyuk was a hold-in during training camp until he agreed to terms with the team on a new four-year extension worth up to $120 million.Head coach Kyle Shanahan, along with general manager John Lynch, continue to assert that Aiyuk has played his last snap for the 49ers. Speaking at the team’s end-of-season press conference in January, the coach indicated he had lost contact with Aiyuk, going on to say that “eventually you understand that it’s not going to change and you’ve got to move on with your football team.”On that January day, Lynch explicitly said that Aiyuk had “played his last snap with the Niners.”Then at the end of March at the league’s annual meetings, Shanahan maintained that stance, but did not put a timeframe on a resolution.“I don’t have a date for it, but I know eventually it’ll resolve itself,” Shanahan said in March. “Hopefully, we could get something for [him]. And I know we’re in no rush to do that. You’ve got to do what’s right for the Niners, and you’re not trying to hook up any other team as fast as you possibly can. Hopefully, we can get something for that, and it’ll take care of itself.”As far as what that resolution looks like, many believe Aiyuk will find a home with the Washington Commanders. Aiyuk played with Jayden Daniels at Arizona State, and over this past weekend did share a photos of himself wearing a Commanders hat.However, he is still technically under contract with San Francisco through the 2028 season. And while the 49ers did void the guaranteed money he was owed for 2026, the guaranteed money Aiyuk is owed for 2027 is still on the books.NFL insider Ian Rapoport addressed the situation on Monday.“First of all, here’s what the San Francisco 49ers would like: They have his rights, he’s not due any guaranteed money because he forfeited that by not showing up to his rehab,” said Rapoport. “So, they would like to trade him, probably to the Commanders, with his old friend Jayden Daniels and an organization that obviously knows him well, considering (Commanders general manager) Adam Peters was in San Francisco, and all that.“What the Commanders would like to do is sign him without having to trade him. … We’re in a situation where nobody wants to move at all. They’re all staring at each other. There’s really no deadline to make a move at all. So, until and unless everyone gets tired of Brandon Aiyuk sending Instagram messages, this is going to be a storyline that takes us through the summer.”Happy offseason, everyone. #Brandon #Aiyuks #49ers #divorce #uglier](https://i1.wp.com/platform.sbnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/gettyimages-2183567424.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C78.534031413613&w=1200&ssl=1 "Brandon Aiyuk’s 49ers divorce keeps getting uglier Brandon Aiyuk’s war of words with the San Francisco 49ers reached new heights on Tuesday.In a video posted to social media, Aiyuk blasted the organization as “stupid” for paying him, and “mad” at themselves for how the team was handling the situation.The video came after Aiyuk posted one over the weekend, where he called the 49ers “little-ass boys” who needed to “stop running from the bill.”The two videos are the wide receiver’s first lengthy public comments since the team placed him on the reserve/left team list back in December of last year. Aiyuk has not played in a game for the 49ers since midway through the 2024 season, when he suffered a torn ACL.Prior to the 2024 campaign, Aiyuk was a hold-in during training camp until he agreed to terms with the team on a new four-year extension worth up to $120 million.Head coach Kyle Shanahan, along with general manager John Lynch, continue to assert that Aiyuk has played his last snap for the 49ers. Speaking at the team’s end-of-season press conference in January, the coach indicated he had lost contact with Aiyuk, going on to say that “eventually you understand that it’s not going to change and you’ve got to move on with your football team.”On that January day, Lynch explicitly said that Aiyuk had “played his last snap with the Niners.”Then at the end of March at the league’s annual meetings, Shanahan maintained that stance, but did not put a timeframe on a resolution.“I don’t have a date for it, but I know eventually it’ll resolve itself,” Shanahan said in March. “Hopefully, we could get something for [him]. And I know we’re in no rush to do that. You’ve got to do what’s right for the Niners, and you’re not trying to hook up any other team as fast as you possibly can. Hopefully, we can get something for that, and it’ll take care of itself.”As far as what that resolution looks like, many believe Aiyuk will find a home with the Washington Commanders. Aiyuk played with Jayden Daniels at Arizona State, and over this past weekend did share a photos of himself wearing a Commanders hat.However, he is still technically under contract with San Francisco through the 2028 season. And while the 49ers did void the guaranteed money he was owed for 2026, the guaranteed money Aiyuk is owed for 2027 is still on the books.NFL insider Ian Rapoport addressed the situation on Monday.“First of all, here’s what the San Francisco 49ers would like: They have his rights, he’s not due any guaranteed money because he forfeited that by not showing up to his rehab,” said Rapoport. “So, they would like to trade him, probably to the Commanders, with his old friend Jayden Daniels and an organization that obviously knows him well, considering (Commanders general manager) Adam Peters was in San Francisco, and all that.“What the Commanders would like to do is sign him without having to trade him. … We’re in a situation where nobody wants to move at all. They’re all staring at each other. There’s really no deadline to make a move at all. So, until and unless everyone gets tired of Brandon Aiyuk sending Instagram messages, this is going to be a storyline that takes us through the summer.”Happy offseason, everyone. #Brandon #Aiyuks #49ers #divorce #uglier")
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