Mumbai's 30-year-old pacer Tushar Deshpande overcame a severe bronchitis attack to help his side win their Ranji Trophy 2025-26 opening clash against Jammu & Kashmir in Srinagar by 35 runs. On his return to red-ball cricket after a long absence of 18 months due to injury, Deshpande faced a stiff challenge from the conditions where there were low oxygen levels due to high altitude. While warming up on opening day, he struggled to breathe and was rushed to a local hospital. There was uncertainty over his participation but he was committed to play.
Deshpande 's services were not needed on Day 1. He walked out to bat and scored two runs from five balls on Day 2. He was dismissed by Auqib Nabi.
With the new ball, he struck early. He dismissed no.3 batter Musaif Ajaz on his fourth ball of the innings. Later, he dismissed Sahil Lotra and Nabi as well. He bowled 19 overs including five maidens and conceded 57 runs. He helped Mumbai restrict hosts for 325 and take a 61-run lead.
He contributed eight runs from 20 balls and remained not out as Mumbai were bowled out for 181 in their second innings. With the new ball, he needed just two balls to trap opener Shubbham Khajuria in front of the stumps. Then Shams Mulani's exceptional seven-fer steered Mumbai to a 35-run win as Jammu & Kashmir were bowled out for 207.
“This was a crucial game for us and for me personally too,” Deshpande told Rajasthan Royals after the match. “Jammu and Kashmir had defeated us last season and we wanted to start this campaign on the right note. It was also big for me because I was returning to Ranji after a year and a half.
“I had blanked out for 10 seconds during warm-up but the will to do it for my team greatly helped me get over my discomfort.”
Deshpande’s T20I numbers
Deshpande made his T20I debut in 2024 on Zimbabwe tour. He claimed two wickets at an average of 27.50.
How Deshpande fared for Royals in IPL 2025
In the previous Indian Premier League (IPL) season, he took nine wickets from 10 games for RR at an average of 37.77. His economy rate was unimpressive at 10.62 runs per over.