When Ravindra Jadeja smacked 10 runs off the last two balls in the IPL 2023 final, Chennai Super Kings clinched their fifth title at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The whole CSK camp went wild, but Mohit Sharma was crushed because he couldn’t get Gujarat Titans across the finish line.
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Before that final over, everything had been going great for Mohit. He’d had a comeback season, grabbing 27 wickets for GT, the team he’d joined as a net bowler in 2022. But in that last over, he only gave up three runs in the first four balls. Then his control slipped just enough for Jadeja to smash a six and a four, handing CSK the trophy.
That was tough. In a regular season with tons of games, if you need 10 runs off the last two balls, it’s not a huge deal, no matter the innings. But this one was different. Some things just stick with you. Last season was like a fairytale for me, so this one really stung, Mohit said at a chat with reporters arranged by the Delhi Capitals.
Still, with a smile and a relaxed vibe, plus a bit of a philosophical outlook, Mohit said he doesn’t regret anything or complain about how that night in Ahmedabad went down. I could’ve bowled those last two balls better. Four were good, two weren’t. And those two changed the game. But hey, if good stuff happens, I call it destiny and move on. If bad stuff happens, same thing: destiny, then back to the nets.
I just do what I can. Everyone was super supportive. No one said it was just one person’s fault for losing, or one person’s glory for winning. It’s a team thing, right? If anyone blamed me for messing up those balls, I might’ve had to show them my season stats.
“But nobody did that. Everyone – Hardik, Ashish Nehra, Vikram Solanki, all the players – said it just wasn’t meant to be. If we played that game 100 times, maybe we’d win 95 and lose 5. So those 5 losses? Let’s call it destiny and not sweat it.
Mohit’s playing for the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025. He played for them back in 2020 but only got one wicket. Also, Delhi is where he had his worst IPL spell, giving up 73 runs in four overs when Rishabh Pant went crazy at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
At 36, knowing his career’s winding down, Mohit’s drive comes from just loving the game. Motivation isn’t just a word for me. Discipline is what really matters. All that motivation stuff boils down to discipline. I mean, we’ve been playing cricket with discipline for like 20 years.
So it’s ingrained in us. When I was a net bowler at GT a few years ago, people kept saying ‘net bowler, net bowler’. I was like, ‘you have to actually play cricket to play cricket.’ I still believe that.
“As long as I’m playing, I’ll do everything I need to do to play well. That’s my motivation. Nothing else. If you’re disciplined, it’ll push you forward.
For IPL 2025, Mohit’s been practicing with both new and old balls at the pre-season camp in Delhi. He’s also been focusing on taking care of his body with fitness and diet.
“As you get older, you have to really look after your body. Strength and conditioning are key, but so is your diet and how you manage yourself.
A lot of cricket folks think DC has a solid team to win the trophy, but Mohit thinks we’ll see how things go once they hit the field.
“Yeah, we look good on paper. But we’ll only know how well we work together once we start playing. I don’t go by the paper stuff, because it’s a whole different ballgame out there. All the top teams look good on paper.
“Sometimes the Indian batters in the middle order get called weak, but they’re the ones who win you games. So the first week or so will be important. We’ll see how we gel and how well we carry out our plans.
“We seem like a promising squad, but you still have to do the work out there. Doesn’t matter how famous you are, you only become a star when you perform.
The IPL is where Mohit grabbed 23 and 20 wickets for Chennai Super Kings in 2013 and 2014. Those performances got him a spot on the Indian team, including the 2015 ODI World Cup. He believes the IPL has changed the game for everyone.
“It’s changed everything. There’s way more pressure now. Back then, there wasn’t as much pressure in domestic or international cricket. We barely saw international cricket. You’d play a couple of tours, and if you didn’t do well, that was it.
“Now, the IPL has made international cricket feel much closer. If you do well in domestic and IPL, you can do well internationally. It definitely has an impact. Things are always improving, and the IPL plays a big role in that.
Last year, bowlers were getting hammered as batters went wild, putting up huge scores. Mohit ended by saying that fast bowlers in the IPL need to lose their egos and just focus on executing their skills.
“It’s about doing what you’ve been doing, but better. You have to try and execute like you mean it. Don’t just go through the motions in practice, thinking you’ll save it for the match. That just doesn’t work.
“For me, ego has no place. I don’t care if I’m a fast bowler or medium pacer, I’ll throw a slower ball if I need to. I’m not obsessed with bowling 95 mph. If you are, you need to get over it fast because there’s no room for ego in the IPL.
“Someone can hit you for a six off the first ball, and your ego’s gone. As a fast bowler, you just can’t have an ego. It’s all about destiny. If you get five wickets, be thankful and move on to the next day, he wrapped up.
