Inside the freewheeling Akshat Raghuwanshi’s psyche

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Rajat Patidar is the poster boy of Madhya Pradesh T20 League. Much of the promotional content has revolved around the Royal Challengers Bangalore talisman, and understandably so. His esteemed presence is a good selling point for the homegrown competition of the state, which has developed a reputation as India’s new talent factory in the format.

An assortment of Rajat’s shots, cherrypicked from his 65-run knock against Malwa Stallions at Daly College, is making the rounds on social media, with the fans of a franchise that has ended its 18-year wait in the most emphatic fashion doting over their captain in the comments.


It is an exemplar for any modern-day batter in terms of range-hitting. He sweeps a medium-pacer behind square from way outside off, launches a left-arm spinner over his head, and cuts to the right of backward point to beat a despairing dive by the boundary rider. A day that kickstarted with one of the best white-ball dashers in India laying down the marker saw the heir apparent follow suit.

Opening the innings for Rewa Jaguars under lights in front of Bhopal Leopards, Akshat Raghuwanshi picked up from where he left versus Bundelkhand Bulls. That whirlwind of a knock, in a tiny chase of 75, showed why this young lad from Ashok Nagar is so highly rated among the Indian cricket fraternity. 

When Omkarnath Singh dropped the ball short, the gunshot crack of leather on willow reverberated across the Holkar Stadium. The hook flew past the Vijay Hazare stand, transcending the ambulance to land near the entry gate dedicated to Maharani Usharaje. Rewa Jaguars overhauled the target in 31 balls, with Akshat contributing 42 at a strike rate of 300. ‘’My goal is to make an impact, always,’’ Akshat asserts.

And boy did he walk the talk 24 hours later. Priyanshu Shukla was hit for three fours and two sixes in his first couple of overs. Pawan Nirwani, who had an economical beginning, was put under pressure straightaway thereafter. The latter half of Ajay Mishra’s opening salvo went up in flames. Before the PowerPlay concluded, Akshat had rustled up a fifty off 22 balls, and celebrated the milestone by tearing into Pranjal Puri. 

An interesting cat and mouse game was in store as Kamal Tripathi was summoned into the attack by Aniket Verma. The mystery spinner vowed not to serve the ball in Akshat’s swinging arc, keeping it flat and wide. A sound strategy, which alas couldn’t stand the test of time as Akshat brought out the broom to fetch six.

‘’I am curious to develop new shots, both in the nets and match simulation. I don’t have a reverse sweep in my armoury at present, if I manage to solidify that shot the wide yorker won’t be spared,’’ avers Akshat, whose nine sixes en route 85(32) included a ramp.

Albeit his no-holds-barred approach lends itself to constant scrutiny. On occasions he fails to execute one of his breathtaking strokes, the chorus about smart and sensible batting grows louder. ‘’It happens all the time. Coming through the U16 and U19 ranks, I was heavily criticized for being one-dimensional. At that point, it stung but now I have risen above the negativity,’’ Akshat reflects.

‘’I am only concerned about whether my family is happy with my performance, the opinions of others don’t really affect me anymore.’’

That devil-may-care attitude is the bedrock of his success across formats. Akshat was fastracked to the Ranji Trophy level at 18, crafting a ton on debut, and featured in Madhya Pradesh’s title-winning campaign of 2021-22. Holding an average of 32.8 in 17 List A matches, the pocket dynamite has scored a century in each edition of MPT20. Lucknow Super Giants bought Akshat for 2.20 crores ahead of the 2026 season, providing him exposure to the likes of Rishabh Pant, Justin Langer and Kane Williamson.

‘’It was an enjoyable experience. My biggest learning was that your mindset needs to be crystal clear,’’ Akshat emphasizes. ‘’I play an aggressive brand of cricket so if there’s even a shred of doubt in my mind, things can get complicated. There is no room for uncertainty in T20 cricket, if you snooze you lose.’’

Under the watchful eye of Amay Khurasia, Akshat’s fundamentals were cast in stone by the age of 12 – base, balance, head position. He attributes the tremendous power he is able to generate to a rapier-like downswing rather than weight training in the gym.

‘’I alternate between heavy and light balls in my underarm drills to smoothen the bat flow and get the right elevation as well as distance. The sand-filled variant does not travel too far so when you practise with it and then revert to the leather ball, your striking ability improves a great deal.’’

English batter Will Smeed made headlines in 2022 by signing a white-ball-only contract at age 21, prioritizing the slam-bang version over first-class cricket. Does Akshat ever entertain similar thoughts given the nature of his batsmanship? ‘’Not at all. I focus on all formats, however my method doesn’t change in red-ball cricket,’’ Akshat stresses, referring to the see-ball-hit-ball philosophy that bashers like Virender Sehwag operated upon.

‘’I don’t think too much about adapting my game. Instead I concentrate on dealing with the ball on its merit, whatever the format.’’

Akshat uses the heavy Powerball to keep his power game in fine fettle.

Twice Akshat drilled the ball back to the Bhopal Leopards spinners and in both the instances, the catch was dropped due to the degree of the impact. In visible discomfort, Pawan required treatment on his hand. Thankfully, the injury was not serious, otherwise it would have been a shame for the all-rounder to bow out having impressed the IPL scouts with his four-wicket haul against Indore Pink Panthers and a gritty 74 opposite Gwalior Cheetahs.

Akshat himself shelled a chance in the deep, enabling the opening partnership worth 60(27). The run-fest went right down to the wire, with Rewa Jaguars ending up on the losing side. If 203 proved inadequate, Akshat might have to go even harder despite already flying close to his stratospheric ceiling. 

 

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