Ashay Palkar

Ashay Palkar is quite the cricketer who boasts quite the story. Palkar hung up his cricketing boots in 2012 after playing for Mumbai at Under-19 and Under-22 level. Back then, he was rubbing shoulders with some of Mumbai’s greats, including CricX star Kaustub Pawar.

A few seasons earlier, he was a full-time trainee at the MRF Pace Foundation – one of only 10 fast bowlers selected from India’s stocks, training under the guidance of Australian great, Dennis Lillee. He was highly regarded as an international prospect in the making.

However, after failing to break into Mumbai’s seniors’ team, Palkar decided to pursue an MBA from Mumbai University. He didn’t play competitive cricket for nearly four years until he graduated.

The comeback began as an afterthought when he secured a software consultancy role with IT giant Infosys in 2015. The firm had a cricket ground inside its campus which Palkar would train outside his 9 to 5 job. He also started to play selection matches (for Ambitious Cricket Club), thus started to consider a return to professional cricket.

He caught the selectors’ eye shortly thereafter but had to serve a three-year cooling-off period before representing another State. Palkar was finally able to play professional cricket, when his debut for Maharashtra came in a Vijay Hazare Trophy match in September 2018. He smashed an unbeaten 46 from 32 balls at No. 6 as his side completed a 94-run victory over Punjab.

His first-class debut came in the away game against Baroda (November 2018), picking up 2 wickets. After missing the tie against Karanataka, which the team lost, Palkar returned to the playing XI against Mumbai. Out to impress, Palkar did just that, producing a vital spell of 4-62 to help Maharashtra gain the first-innings lead. In Mumbai’s second innings, he once again gave proof of his position with the dismissals of Surya Kumar Yadav and Armaan Jaffer off successive deliveries.

Palkar went on to cement his spot with a string of dominant performances. He captured successive 5-wicket bags - 6-42 and 5-66, amongst match tallies of 8-97 and 7-111 against Assam and Tripura, respectively. He backed up with another 7-wicket match haul (7-117) against Odisha in the next match, then rounded off the Ranji season with 60 and second-innings figures of 3-44 against Uttarakhand. The all-rounder ended a hugely successful return to Ranji Trophy cricket with 25 wickets at 17.68.

Following COVID, Palkar enjoyed yet another strong Ranji season in 2022/23 taking 20 wickets at 26.20, and to evidence is all-round ability, 421 runs at 52.62 including his maiden century (100). He was one of only five players that averaged 50 plus and took 20 wickets in Ranji Trophy cricket that season. Whilst less prolific last summer, he still managed another 5 wicket haul amongst 11 wickets at 38.63 taking his overall FC tally to 68 wickets at 28.19 alongside 692 runs at 26.61.

Palkar is quite the cricketer, who has then excelled in UK league cricket having spent three seasons dominating club cricket, initially for Clayton West (2021-22), before his last season with Potterne (2023).

During his first two stints in the Drakes Huddersfield League (Championship division), he was, without doubt, the best professional in the league. The Indian star racked up 112 wickets at 15.84 with 4 five-wicket hauls, and a best bowling of 8/44. With the bat, he often produced some of the best hitting to be seen in the Drakes League for some time, and over his 2 seasons belted 2,204 runs at 55.10 with 4 centuries and highest score of 205*. In 2023, despite a mid-season injury Palkar continued to shine, this time for Potterne in the West of England Premier League (335 runs at 25.77 and 19 wickets at 18.21).

An absolute superstar professional, Palkar is now open to options for the 2025 season.