IPL 2025 | ‘He is a clever bowler and pleased with what he has done’ - Vettori praises Harsh Dubey’s performance

‌In an otherwise forgettable campaign, Sunrisers Hyderabad ended their Indian Premier League 2025 campaign on a high with three wins in their last three matches and scoring more than 200 in each of them. Though Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen shone with the bat, it was Harsh Dubey who caught the attention with his performance in those matches.

The left-spinner from Vidarbha, who came in as a replacement for R Smaran in the SRH squad has held his own during his short stint with the side giving them an excellent spin option in the years to come as suggested by SRH’s head coach. The 22-year-old spinner has picked up five wickets in three matches for SRH with the side winning all those matches.

"We're very pleased with what he has done since he has come into the team - obviously a very clever bowler," Vettori said during the press conference after the win against Kolkata Knight Riders in their final league match. 

“He understands conditions well, understands how he needs to bowl, and can mix it up. I suppose we were desperate for that little bit of control, and he's been able to do that in all three games he's played. And the great thing for him is that between now and the next IPL, he's going to get a huge amount of opportunities, so we believe he can grow as a bowler and also as a batter, because the batting part of him was a big part of our decision-making too,” the SRH head coach explained.

Dubey killed the game off in his very first over as KKR were looking to chase down a monumental 279. With KKR placed at 62/3 at the end of the seventh over, Dubey came onto bowl with Rinku Singh and Angkrish Raghuvanshi at the crease. After being hit for a six off his fourth ball, the left-arm spinner bounced back with the wicket of Rinku in the next ball.

With Russell taking guard, Dubey beat him all ends up as the all-rounder was trapped plumb in front. With the ball pitching on middle and leg and turning just enough to beat Russell’s bat, the batter did not even wait for the umpire’s decision as he started his walk back. That literally ended the match for KKR.

"He's giving it a tweak, that's the start. And when you do that, you certainly get a bit of drift. And, more importantly, it goes off the surface that much quicker. And that's something that we see in Harsh Dubey," Anil Kumble was quoted as saying to ESPNcricinfo. 

“When he got Ramandeep Singh out, and also Andre Russell, he beat them with pace, not just the turn or with Russell, it just came back with the arm. He beat them with pace, and that's what you want from a spinner."

Harsh Dubey came into the IPL on the back of an extraordinary domestic season with Vidarbha, winning the Ranji Trophy 2024-25. The left-arm spinner finished as the highest wicket-taker in India’s premier domestic competition with a tally of 69 wickets in 10 matches, the most by any player in a single season. The performance in the longer format of the game has won him a spot in the India ‘A’ team that will tour England at the end of this month to play two first-class matches against England Lions.

"He certainly has the potential, and we've seen him bowl today in the white-ball format. The consistency is what matters. And that's something he has shown in domestic cricket, of getting wickets. And this is a great opportunity to be part of the India A squad,” Kumble concluded.