Sharma DRAMA

THE INSIDE STORY OF HOW IPL STAR MADE HIS WAY TO WIGAN TO PLAY IN THE COMP

- By TOM EVANS

PACKED with enough tension and drama to fill a Netflix 10-parter, the saga of Ashutosh Sharma's journey to Wigan will go down in Love Lane Liverpool Competition folklore.

It takes in political tensions, diplomatic intrigue, a race against time across two continents... and even some cricket.

But for his new club, the most exciting part of the story is that it’s just getting started.

Sharma has been one of the breakout stars of the Indian Premier League over the past two years, commanding a fee of more than £300,000 when he joined the Delhi Capitals for this season.

He made 204 runs in nine innings against some of the world’s best short-form bowlers, hitting at a strike rate of 160, or 9.6 an over.

So it shouldn't be a surprise that the Indian superstar began life at Wigan with a 72-ball century at Formby, or that this achievement made headlines across the world.

“It’s probably the first time Wigan CC has been mentioned in the Hindustan Times,’ laughs Wigan cricket chairman Mark Rowe.

But the century was the most straightforward part of the journey.

Wigan had started the season with Shubham Khajuria as their overseas pro. On the field, everything was great - his 271 runs at 67.65 included 139 in a one-wicket win at Rainhill.

But off it, family matters and geopolitics were colliding. Khajuria plays for Jammu and Kashmir in India, in the region where tensions recently flared with his pregnant wife at home, he could not stay in England.