Sushant Mishra: Stress Fracture to IPL 2026 Playoffs, the Complete Story of Jharkhand’s Left-Arm Speedster

Sushant Mishra went out to the crease for the final over of an IPL Eliminator at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium, New Chandigarh on the night of May 27, 2026. Sunrisers Hyderabad had to be comprehensively defeated by His Rajasthan Royals. He bowled with cold precision and got rid of Shivang Kumar in the end to help RR qualify for Qualifier 2 in the battle with Gujarat Titans with a 42-run win. The final over was everything for the 25-year-old left arm pacer who was out of the bowling equation for 15 months due to a spinal operation.

It has been one of the most fascinating comebacks in Indian domestic cricket in recent years and Sushant Mishra has a great story to tell in between the promise, the setback, the surgery and his comeback that secured him an IPL contract and playoff berth for the Indian team. The whole, current story of who he is, what he has experienced and his current standing.

From Ranchi to the Under-19 World Cup

Sushant Samirkumar Mishra was born on December 23, 2000 in Ranchi, Jharkhand. Ranchi is a cricket hub city where cricket runs through the veins of all its people as it has produced most of the finest players in India including MS Dhoni. Mishra had a keen eye for cricket and his left arm fast-medium swing was noticed by coaches at an early age. Interestingly, he had been nurtured by Rahul Dravid, who played a mentoring role for him in the junior circuit of Indian cricket.

He had earned a position in India’s team for the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2020 and his efforts were rewarded. He found the opportunity and latched on to it. Overall Mishra had the discipline and variety to find the game at a higher level as he picked up seven wickets with an average of 19.85 points throughout the tournament. His finest came against Pakistan where he took three wickets in a going down match. India emerged victorious in the tournament and Mishra had won the World Cup with the medal at the tender age of 19.

Senior Debut: Instant Impact for Jharkhand

There is no sure formula for a junior to make the leap into senior cricket, but Mishra did just that. He made his List A debut for Jharkhand in December 2021 vs Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22 at Mohali. In February 2022, he made his first-class debut for Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy against Chhattisgarh just two months later. In his first-class debut match he bowled 6 wickets, both in the 1st and 2nd innings, which was a fantastic debut. It was a competitive pitch, it was no pushover opposition and Mishra delivered results right from the bat.

He impressed in 13 months of 7 first class and 5 List A matches, and made the eyes of IPL franchise scouts run. But as his career was really taking off, his body was telling him to slow down.

the Surgery that Took Everything: Injury to the Spine.

Mishra had his first season of Ranji Trophy under his belt in 2022, when he developed a stress fracture on the back. This kind of injury is prevalent in fast bowlers as they bowl with high intensity and impact on the vertebrae repeatedly. For most, rest and rehabilitation resolves the issue. It did not for Mishra.

He underwent the entire rehabilitation journey and got back on the ball but it came back again. But it was not just a case of stress reaction. Mishra had a fracture which did not heal in the correct position in his L3 vertebra — a condition known as malunion. The only remedy was surgery.

He did have to go under the knife and in April 2024 to September 2025, Sushant Mishra played no competitive cricket. 18 months of waiting in the wings. However, Gujarat Titans had already made him an offer of Rs 2.2 crore at the auction of the IPL 2024 as the faith they had in him had not wavered before his surgery. That season he didn’t play a single game for them.

Looking back on the last year and a half, in his own words, it wasn’t a great time. The only thing that drove him through the recovery was to be able to come back and show what he can do.

The Return: SMAT 2101 Title and Joint Top-Wicket Taker

• Mishra got back to competitive cricket in late 2025 playing for Jharkhand in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season. He faced Nagaland and scored one wicket — a quiet start. 
• Next was the national T20 tournament, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26, and Mishra went bonkers.
• The joint highest wicket taker in the tournament, he finished with a total of 22 wickets in 11 matches with an average of just 17.18. 
• Two more bowlers from Rajasthan, Ashok Sharma and Sharath Kholi, also shared points for 22 wickets apiece to top the charts. 
• Mishra did not pick up any wicket in one match of the whole campaign. He was economical, steady and never gave up — the only player on either side to give up less than 10 runs per over in the match, with an economy rate of 6.75.

However, against Haryana, Mishra was at his best and found three wickets in the bowlers’ 27 overs, taking the opener Arsh Ranga, middle-order batter Parth Vats and all-rounder Anshul Kamboj in the mix. Jharkhand built a mammoth 262/3 total, which was the highest ever in any T20 final in the format’s history, for a maiden SMAT championship. It was a win which changed the identity of a state cricket team and it was Mishra who was the main man in the middle of the situation.

The Vijay Hazare Trophy that season was his best season so far with a superb 6/21 haul against Tripura; a record that told us that he was back in full form.

Rajasthan Royals Come Calling: IPL 2026 Auction

Jharkhand were basking in the glory of their SMAT success in December 2025 when IPL 2026 mini auction was in full swing.In December 2025, Jharkhand were enjoying the fruits of their SMAT victory while the IPL 2026 mini auction was in full swing. Mishra’s performances had not gone unnoticed. He was a hot property for all three teams as they went into battle to secure his services: Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders. RR won the race and bagged the services for Rs 90 lakh. This was an improvement over the Rs 2.2 crore Gujarat Titans had offered him two years ago, but it was a step toward building a franchise with faith in him and decided to include him in their playing squad.

Mishra made his IPL debut in the 2026 season for the Rajasthan Royals team. The strong start of the season has been a testament to RR’s campaign that season, with Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s incredible batting performance and a well-rounded bowling attack. Mishra has introduced pace off-spinner variation to a team which already had Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger at the front of the bowling.

Rajasthan Royals vs SRH will face off in the Eliminator on May 27 at the IPL 2026.

Sushant Mishra’s latest chapter was written yesterday. Rajasthan Royals are hosting Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator match of IPL 2026 at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium, New Chandigarh on May 27, 2026. By delivering a jaw-dropping 97 off 29 balls, Vaibhav Suryavanshi broke Chris Gayle’s record of 59 sixes in a single T20 season, as RR got 243/8 with a massive top-97 stand to boot.

The three wickets taken by Jofra Archer in the opening cricket session of the chase derailed SRH’s effort. Ravindra Jadeja added to his squeeze in the middle overs with 2/21. But Mishra had made some significant breakthroughs, as he had got the wicket of Pat Cummins for a paltry price in the 11th over and claimed Shivang Kumar in the final over of the game. He dished out 2/21, making his career best, which proved to be the perfect pressure-proof delivery to help RR put an end to SRH’s bid for 196 runs in 19.2 overs. Winners by 42 runs.

Rajasthan Royals are now facing Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 on 29th May 2026. The one who wins this game goes to the final of IPL 2026. In a batting line-up aiming to get RR across the line and into the championship game, Sushant Mishra will be a part of it — it would have been unthinkable during the 15 months ride from the hospital to the physio.

Sushant Mishra’s Career Highlights at a Glance.

Sushant Mishra’s saga is far from over — in fact, it’s really just started. He has already won the Under-19 World Cup and endured an injury to his spine which threatened his career, guided Jharkhand to their maiden SMAT championship and pitched in a match of the IPL playoff. Any effort he takes to put the ball in at speed now comes with the baggage of the 15 months that followed wondering if he would ever bowl again. Indian cricket is known for nurturing fast bowlers from an unlikely source and the left-arm speedster from Ranchi is definitely doing the same.

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