Farmer's son bowled the fastest ball of IPL 2026… broke the record of the world's dreaded fast bowler, brother's hard work paid off

New Delhi. Young fast bowler Ashok Sharma has created history in the Indian Premier League 2026. 23-year-old pacer Ashok forced the greats of the cricket world to gnash their teeth with his speed at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad. Gujarat Titans' young fast bowler Ashok registered his name in the pages of history. With his fearsome speed, this pacer left behind the world's fastest bowlers like Enrique Norcia and took the record of bowling the fastest ball of the current season in the IPL. Ashok took one wicket for 37 runs in 4 overs. He dismissed Shimron Hetmyer.

Ashok Sharma, who came with the 16th over of the innings, made his intentions clear from the very first ball. On the fourth ball of the over, he recorded a speed of 150.7 kmph, seeing which the batsmen and commentators were surprised. But the real blast was yet to come. On the last ball of the over, Ashok gave all his strength and a speed of 154 kilometers per hour was recorded on the speed gun. This is the fastest ball of this season so far. Earlier this season, Enrique Norcia had bowled the ball at a speed of 150.9 kilometers per hour. Norkia is playing for LSG.

This young bowler from Rajasthan proved that there is no dearth of speed merchants in India. Born on 17 June 2002 in a farmer family, his elder brother Akshay had a big contribution in making Ashok a cricketer. Akshay himself wanted to become a cricketer but his father had only so much wealth that he could afford to make only one son a cricketer. After which Akshay left cricket for his younger brother and stood with him like a shadow.

Ashok Kumar bowled the fastest ball of the IPL season.

Journey from Rajasthan net bowler to Gujarat Titans star
This journey of Ashok Sharma has not been so easy. Starting out as a medium pace bowler from Rajasthan, Ashok's strengths were initially considered to be his swing and accurate line-length. He has the ability to swing the ball both ways. His talent was first recognized by Rajasthan Royals, where he joined as a net bowler. There Sanju Samson and other senior players praised his bowling a lot. After this, in the 2022 auction, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bought him for Rs 55 lakh. In 2025, he again became a part of Rajasthan Royals, but in the 2026 auction, Gujarat Titans, understanding his importance, included him in their team by making a huge bid of Rs 90 lakh.

The figures are testifying
Ashok is not only rich in speed, but he also has tremendous wicket-taking skills. If we look at his T20 career, he has taken 33 wickets in just 11 matches, which shows the ability of his strike rate. In red ball cricket (first class) too, he has taken 14 wickets in 4 matches and 13 wickets in 7 List-A matches.

Unique combination of swing and speed
It is generally believed that a bowler who bowls too fast loses his swing. But this is not the case with Ashok Sharma. Along with the speed of 150 plus, he has the ability to wave the ball in the air. Under the tutelage of a veteran like Ashish Nehra in the camp of Gujarat Titans, Ashok has emerged as a deadly weapon. After this historic achievement on Saturday, now the Indian selectors have also set their eyes on this Rajasthani talent. If Ashok maintains his speed and accuracy like this, then the day is not far when he will take the field for India in the blue jersey.