Tushar Deshpande has risen through the ranks with his performances for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. Deshpande has improved significantly over the years and has become one of the most reliable bowlers in the IPL.
He was recently asked about his favorite team other than CSK. The fast bowler has picked Mumbai Indians as his team and claimed that he is happy to be picked by the franchise if CSK doesn’t go for him.
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Tushar Deshpande picks Mumbai Indians as his favorite team apart from CSK
During a chat with Crictracker, Tushar Deshpande asked about the team he would like to be selected for apart from Chennai Super Kings. The 29-year-old footballer has announced that he wants to receive an offer from the Mumbai Indians.
Deshpande said that playing for Mumbai Indians would allow him to play at his home ground, Wanhede Stadium. He later hailed the atmosphere at the Wankhede and reaffirmed his desire to play for MI.
“If not for CSK, I would have liked to play for Mumbai Indians”: Deshpande@mipaltan Please get him in Mumbai Indians at any cost 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/ncufUmixtM
— Junaid Khan (@JunaidKhanation) November 22, 2024
“If it wasn’t for CSK, I would have liked an offer from Mumbai Indians because it was my home team and it’s a different feeling to play for your home team in front of your home crowd. I’ve played at the Wankhede a few times.” Deshpande said.
“Playing in front of your home crowd is a completely different atmosphere. Even if I was playing in yellow, people were cheering for me. So if it wasn’t for CSK, I would have loved to have had the opportunity to play for Mumbai Indians.” he added.
Tushar Deshpande plays domestic cricket for Mumbai and has been playing at the Wankhede Stadium since his childhood days. He knows the stadium well and is quite familiar with the atmosphere at the ground.
Tushar Deshpande IPL numbers
Deshpande has played 36 matches in the IPL, picking 42 wickets at an average of 29.60 and an economy rate of 9.65. The last two seasons have been great for him in the IPL.
In IPL 2023, he scored 21 goals in 16 matches. In the last season of 2024, he scored 17 goals in 13 matches while playing for Chennai Super Kings. Over the years, he has become an improved bowler, both with the new ball and in the death overs.
Will CSK keep Tushar Deshpande?
However, he was not retained by CSK ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, which means he will be on the auction table in the coming days. Whether CSK will re-sign him remains to be seen.
Based on his IPL performances, Tushar Deshpande was selected in the Indian squad for the T20I series against Zimbabwe immediately after the T20 World Cup 2024. He has played two T20Is so far, picking up 2 wickets at an average of 27.50 and an economy of 9.16. .
