CSK vs RCB | Twitter debates Anuj Rawat's intentions after bizarre overthrow costs RCB extra run
Amongst the many grey areas that exist in the so-labelled 'laws' of the game, the dead ball rule does not come up as often but remains a point of contention for the fans. Confusion over the same ended up costing RCB a run in the IPL season opener against CSK, thus drawing the ire of Faf du Plessis.
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International career
Anuj Rawat has not yet played for the Indian national team. However, his good performances in domestic cricket and at the Under-19 level show that he might get a chance soon.
Under-19 Career
- 2018: Anuj Rawat became the captain of the Indian U-19 team during their tour to Sri Lanka.
- 2018: He helped the Indian U-19 team win the ACC Under-19s Asia Cup by leading them to victory against Sri Lanka in the final.
Leagues Participation
Anuj Rawat has played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) but has not participated in other franchise leagues like the Big Bash League or CPL.
Indian Premier League
Anuj Rawat's IPL career started with Rajasthan Royals in 2019 when they bought him for INR 80 Lakhs after he impressed in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
|
Year
|
Team
|
Price
|
Position
|
Details
|
|
2019
|
Rajasthan Royals
|
INR 80 Lakhs
|
Wicketkeeper-batter
|
Did not play in any match
|
|
2021
|
Rajasthan Royals
|
Retained
|
Wicketkeeper-batter
|
Debuted in IPL, but did not bat in his two matches
|
|
2022
|
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
|
INR 3.4 Crores
|
Wicketkeeper-batter
|
Scored first IPL half-century, named Player of The Match
|
|
2024
|
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
|
Retained
|
Wicketkeeper-batter
|
Top-scored 48 runs off 25 balls in an important match
|
|
2025
|
Gujarat Titans
|
INR 30 Lakhs
|
Wicketkeeper-batter
|
New team, new season
|
In the IPL 2025 mega auction, Gujarat Titans bought Anuj Rawat for INR 30 Lakhs. This season brings new chances with a fresh team.
Domestic career
Anuj Rawat started his first-class career with Delhi in the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy. He scored 71 and 13 runs in his first match and took two dismissals behind the stumps. In the 2018-19 season, he scored his best innings of 134 against Madhya Pradesh and won the 'Player of the Match' award.
In the 2019-20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he played for Delhi and scored 88 against Saurashtra.
By July 2024, he had played 31 first-class games and scored 1338 runs, with an average of 29.08. He has also played 90 List A and T20 games, averaging 33.15 and 24.06, respectively. As a wicketkeeper, he has made 204 dismissals in domestic cricket.
With his strong performances, Rawat has the chance to become one of India's leading wicket-keeper batsmen in the future.
Records and achievements
Anuj Rawat has earned several awards and set records in his cricket career.
Awards:
- ACC Under 19s Asia Cup 2018: Won with the Indian U-19 team at the age of 18.
- Player of the Match (2022): Awarded for scoring 73 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Records:
- Second-fastest hundred by a Mumbai Indians player in IPL: Scored in 47 balls.
- Fastest hundred in IPL 2023 season: Took 47 balls.
- Fourth-highest run-scorer among overseas players in IPL 2023: Scored 452 runs.
First-Class Cricket:
- Highest score in first-class cricket: 134 runs, achieved against Madhya Pradesh.
As of July 2024, Rawat has scored 1,338 runs in 31 first-class matches.
Personal life
Anuj Rawat comes from a modest family. His love for cricket started early, and his family supported his passion despite financial struggles.
Family
Anuj was born in Roorpur, a village in Ramnagar, Uttarakhand. His father, Virendra Pal Singh Rawat, worked as a farmer and faced challenges in funding Anuj’s cricket dreams. Despite limited resources, his father took loans to support his career. The family later moved to Delhi, where Anuj trained under Virat Kohli’s childhood coach, Rajkumar Sharma.
Anuj attended Bal Bhawan International School in Delhi and continued his studies at Delhi University. However, his main focus was cricket, and he didn’t pay much attention to his academics.
Finance
As of 2024, Anuj’s net worth is estimated at INR 8 crores (USD 1 million).
Cars and House
Anuj now lives in an apartment in Janakpuri, Delhi. While he comes from a village, he resides in the city for better access to cricket facilities.
Scandals
In January 2025, Anuj got into trouble after missing a training session with the Delhi state team. Instead, he joined the Gujarat Titans’ IPL camp in Surat. The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) confirmed that Anuj didn’t formally request permission to miss the training session.
Fans
Anuj has a strong fan following, especially after his performance in IPL 2024. He scored 48 runs off 25 balls for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Fans compared his performance to MS Dhoni’s, and he wore gloves signed by Dhoni during the match. He has 250k followers on Instagram.
