On the night of the IPL Qualifier 1 against table-toppers Punjab Kings in Mullanpur, Suyash Sharma, a native of the congested streets of Bhajanpura in North East Delhi, proved to be the unexpected hero for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

With the wickets of Shashank Singh, Musheer Khan, and Marcus Stoinis—all with his googly—the wiry leg-spinner, who formerly sported a mop of hair but now sports a more polished hairstyle, delivered a game-changing spell of 3/17, crushing PBKS hopes.

When Suyash was requested to bowl, PBKS was in a bad position at 59/5, but the two wickets he took in his first over brought about the collapse. After the game, he stated, "The coaches have told me just one thing: I have to hit the stumps — whether it's a googly, legbreak or flipper." "The pitch gave some assistance, but I believe that what made the difference was my googly."

Suyash's secret weapon has always been his mistake. The late coach Suresh Batra, who coached Suyash during his formative years, was a key character in his adventure. Additionally, during his U-25 trials, the Delhi selectors were initially drawn to the googly.

Kartar Nath, who managed Dena Bank's squad in the DDCA League, had been urging Gursharan Singh, who was then the chair of the Delhi selectors, to give the youngster an opportunity. "His unusual action and the confidence with which he bowled his googly were what stood out," Nath told HT. "I just asked them to watch him — he had the talent, he just needed the opportunity." Delhi has amazing talent. Players come from all over, since it's a metropolitan center. However, it's crucial to support a player in the midst of the political maneuvering that occurs here. I trusted him, but he always had the right stuff.

However, that opportunity was not simple to acquire. The Kolkata Knight Riders selected Suyash in 2023 after seeing him. Ahead of this season, RCB acquired him for ₹2.6 crore in the mega-auction following two seasons of him playing for the XI and being out of it.

But for about two years, Suyash had been enduring the discomfort of hernia in three locations. He underwent surgery in London before the season, thanks to RCB. His return was accompanied by a renewed clarity and confidence in the franchise, for which he appeared to have been compensated by being in better shape and lighter.

“It helped that the team trusted him,” stated Rajat Patidar, the captain of the RCB. “We’ve kept the messaging simple. Bowl stump to stump, stick to your strengths. In any case, his wrong’un is difficult to understand. I never want to perplex him; instead, I constantly seek to provide him with clear thoughts. I'm fine with him giving up a couple of runs in the process.

That clarity has been essential. On a phone call, Suyash informed Nath that the RCB coaching team had cautioned him not to overthink even two games prior. He had to support his googly, which was the primary reason he was here. His statistics for this season are not exceptional—8 wickets in 13 games with an economy of 8.81—but his play on Thursday was consistent with the trend of RCB seeing a new match-winner emerge for them throughout the season.

Suyash has also faced challenges outside of the field. In addition to financial constraints and inadequate support, two years prior, he had lost his father to cancer, which he found difficult to cope with on a personal level.

"Not every time is it simple to locate the appropriate support," Nath stated. "Suyash always had it within him." All he wanted was for someone to have faith in him. The fact that RCB supported him even outside the field was also a matter of chance. His performance has demonstrated this.

Suyash's googly confounded and proved to be a silent factor in RCB's quest for its first IPL championship on a vital day.

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