Shreyas Gopal

Gopal can make the ball turn sharply, and his range of skills makes him a particularly useful asset in white-ball cricket. His bowling action is modelled on that of Anil Kumble, and he imparts plenty of revolutions on the ball to generate significant spin. His googly has caused problems for some of the finest batsmen in the IPL, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers among them. His ability is not in doubt, but earning a national call-up depends on him lifting his career a further step.

His domestic displays led to a contract with the Mumbai Indians in 2014, though he was given very few chances there. Rajasthan Royals signed him at the 2018 auctions, and that year brought his first sustained stretch of IPL cricket. He took wickets while conceding little, and the Royals made particular use of him at their Jaipur home ground, where conditions favoured spin. His standout effort was a four-wicket haul against Royal Challengers Bangalore in what was effectively a knockout match, a performance that carried Rajasthan into the playoffs.

Gopal stayed with Rajasthan until 2021, but over time his IPL role shrank to that of a bits and pieces player, and he was unable to recapture his 2019 form. Sunrisers Hyderabad picked him for 2022, when he featured in only one match. Mumbai Indians brought him back for the 2024 season, but he did not make the playing XI. For 2025 he will turn out for Chennai Super Kings.

On the domestic front, Gopal left Karnataka for Kerala in 2023, at a time when his old team was moving on from a number of senior players. After two domestic seasons with Kerala, he returned to Karnataka.