Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), who are languishing at the bottom of the IPL 2025 points table with only three victories in 10 games, have added a fresh face to their roster. 22-year-old Harsh Dubey has been brought in as a replacement for R Smaran, who has been ruled out after suffering an injury. Ironically, Smaran himself was a replacement for Australia's premier spinner Adam Zampa, who was ruled out of the tournament earlier in the season.

Now, SRH and Cricket fans are wondering - who is Harsh Dubey? Why is everyone so hyped about him? Let's get to know this new star from domestic cricket better.

Harsh Dubey, born on 23rd July, 2002, in Pune, Maharashtra, is a left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder and represents Vidarbha in domestic cricket. He was in the news a while back for his incredible performance in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season. The 22-year-old bowled 69 wickets in only 10 games, which was a new record for most wickets taken by a player in a single Ranji season. This overpowered the previous record of 68 wickets taken by Ashutosh Aman in the 2018-19 season.

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He was not only great with the ball, but he scored 476 runs too, to play a major role in Vidarbha's victory in the Ranji Trophy tournament. For his all-round performances, he was awarded the Player of the Tournament title. His display proved that he is not just a bowler, he can also chip in with the bat when required.

Harsh Dubey's parents sacrificed much to allow him to pursue his cricket ambition. His father, Surendra, went into early retirement from his government career, which typically involved being posted from place to place, in order to remain in Nagpur and work towards the game. His mother, Jyoti, also resigned her teaching job to look after him and keep him out of trouble.

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Harsh Dubey is new to the Indian Premier League (IPL), but his domestic numbers overall look promising. Overall across formats, he has played 16 T20s, 20 List A games, and 18 First-Class games and has scored 941 runs in total and taken 127 wickets.

His T20 figures comprise 9 wickets at a decent economy of 6.78, while in List A cricket, he has taken 21 wickets at a tally of 34.66. Although his performances in white-ball cricket are yet to develop fully, his form in red-ball cricket has caught the eye of franchises such as SRH.

He comes in at SRH for Rs 30 lakh, his reserve price from the previous auction. With SRH's IPL 2025 season practically over and playoff chances dwindling rapidly, Dubey's inclusion might not transform their luck this season. Nonetheless, it is a golden chance for the youngster to soak in the IPL experience and prove his mettle in the most competitive league in the world. 

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Harsh Dubey's rise from domestic cricket to the IPL is a tale of talent, effort, and family sacrifice. Though SRH's prospects in IPL 2025 might be limited, Dubey's debut gives the fans something to cheer about. This is his opportunity to learn, grow, and make a difference on the biggest stage. Based on his form in the , Harsh Dubey can well be an Indian cricket star of the future.