Deepesh Devendran: All about the tearaway India U19 pacer who has set the speed gun alight in TNPL 2026 originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:- India U-19 pacer Deepesh Devendran has hit speeds up to 146 km/h during the ongoing TNPL 2026 season.
- He credits off-season workload and mentorship from Sandeep Warrier for his sudden jump in bowling pace.
- Devendran also bowled at the U-19 World Cup earlier this year and now represents Madurai Panthers in TNPL.
Indian cricket's ongoing love affair with raw pace has thrown up another name worth watching, and this one's still cutting his teeth at the domestic level.
Deepesh Devendran, an India Under-19 fast bowler, has been setting speed guns alight in the Tamil Nadu Premier League after bowling close to 150 km/hr.
Ashok Sharma clocked the fastest delivery of the last IPL season, upwards of 150 km/h, and went on to earn his India T20I debut in Zimbabwe last month. Mayank Yadav, another express bowler, recently returned to the national side after recovering from his injury, also during the Zimbabwe series.
Gurnoor Brar has similarly turned heads with his pace during the Afghanistan ODIs. He was named in the squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in June and remains part of the touring party in Sri Lanka, though he's yet to make his Test debut.
Turning our attention to Devendran, the fast bowler credited his sudden jump in pace to a heavier bowling workload during the off-season, along with guidance from mentor and club-mate Sandeep Warrier.
"After finishing the [multi-day] first division league, I spoke to Sandeep Warrier and asked him for some ideas, and I developed my pace," he told CricInfo in an interview.
"I feel Sandy anna [brother] knows my bowling better than myself. Whatever he has advised has worked for me. Apart from Sandy anna, I speak to AC Prathiban, our bowling coach at Madurai [who is also Varun Chakravarthy's personal bowling coach]."
How fast has Deepesh Devendran bowled in TNPL 2026?Devendran has been consistently clocking speeds beyond 140 km/h in this year's tournament, with one delivery touching a remarkable 146 km/h.
That particular ball came earlier this month in Dindigul, where an inswinging yorker crashed into the stumps of Jafar Jamal. Interestingly, Devendran wasn't even aware of how fast he'd bowled until well after the spell had ended.
"I didn't see the speed gun at that point actually and it was my team-mates who told me," he said. "I thought it may have been around 140kph but it got up to 146kph. I think after that over, I didn't do well and gave away some runs, so I didn't think too much about it and just went to the team hotel."
Impressed by his pace, even West Indies legend Ian Bishop wrote on X: "Hmm, nice".
Which team does Deepesh Devendran play for in IPL?Deepesh Devendran might be a hot pick during the IPL mini auction later this year. Several franchises are keeping an eye on him, and it would not be surprising if a few go al out during the auction.
He's shown more than just brute speed, though. Devendran has also demonstrated the ability to vary his pace, dropping down to around 110 km/h with a dipping slower off-cutter.
"The slower off-cutter is the other stock ball that works for me [in white-ball cricket], and I'm training to control it," he said. "The more you bowl it at the nets, you get to control it. It's also something I worked with Sandy Anna on and am trying to get right."
With raw pace increasingly becoming a fast-track route to national attention, as shown by Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav and Gurnoor Brar's recent rises, Devendran's performances this TNPL season have positioned him as another name selectors may well keep an eye on in the months ahead.
For all the latest cricket news, opinion, and commentary and to share your voice, head to our Facebook, Instagram, and X (Twitter) pages.
Leave a Comment