Though Rajasthan Royals were more or less a settled batting unit, they still required support in the domestic pacer department thus going into the Indian Premier League 2026 auction in December. Besides acquiring some lesser-known talents, RR also succeeded in bringing back Kuldeep Sen who has already spent three years at the franchise.
Among them is Sushant Mishra, a left-handed fast bowler who was purchased for three times his base price of INR 90 lakh. The ex-India U19 cricketer with over 140kmph speeds and a real wicket-taker is therefore one promising player to keep an eye on in the Rajasthan Royals team next season.
Sushant Mishra in the year 2025
The young man of twenty-five had a splendid domestic season, where he was a pivotal player in the victory of his State team Jharkhand in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025-26 which was their first ever. Sushant Mishra ended up being the joint top wicket-taker of the tournament with 22 wickets in 11 matches at the astonishingly low average of 17.18.
Mishra displayed his pace and unerring accuracy in all four matches as he took three wickets, having impressed the most in the match against Rajasthan in Ahmedabad where he returned with the figures of 3/21. Besides being very skillful with the new ball and at the death, he proved his worth of being the player who can be counted on during difficult times by restricting 13 runs in the last over of a Super League match against Madhya Pradesh.
The 25-year-old was also a regular wicket-taker in the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025-26. He cleaned up with 15 scalps in six matches at less than six RPO.
Will Sushant Mishra Feature in RR Playing XI for IPL 2026?
The left-arm bowler was taken in by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) as a backup player in IPL 2022, but he has not yet got a chance to play in an IPL match. However, at Rajasthan Royals, there is a big chance that the player can get his first IPL cap. The reason is that the Royals have Tushar Deshpande and Sandeep Sharma as their main Indian slow bowlers, both of whom did not have a good last season.
Rajasthan Royals have Brijesh Sharma, Kuldeep Sen, and Sushant Mishra as other options for bowling, so the new signings may be tried out by the Royals. It would be a huge loss for RR if they don’t consider Mishra for the future given his recent performance.