'Ghar wapsi hai meri': Ravi Bishnoi looking to form deadly combo with Ravindra Jadeja at Rajasthan Royals | EXCLUSIVE

NEW DELHI: "Apne ghar walon ke saamne khelne ka maza kuch aur hi hoga [Playing in front of my family members will be a completely different feeling]" — India spinner Ravi Bishnoi is relishing the prospect of playing in front of his home crowd next IPL season. Bishnoi, who was part of the Lucknow Super Giants squad last season and was released ahead of the IPL 2026 Auction, was bought for Rs 7.2 crore at the IPL mini-auction in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

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Bishnoi appeared to be firmly on Rajasthan Royals’ radar from the outset. As soon as auctioneer Mallika Sagar announced his name with a base price of Rs 2 crore, the Royals opened the bidding straightaway.




Chennai Super Kings soon entered the fray, intensifying the contest. After CSK took the bid up to Rs 4.2 crore, Rajasthan Royals stayed aggressive in their pursuit of the leg-spinner. The bidding eventually concluded at Rs 7.2 crore, with Rajasthan Royals emerging successful in securing Bishnoi’s services.

Bishnoi is all smiles and says it feels like a 'ghar wapsi' for him.

"Excited to be back home. Ghar wapsi hai meri. I started as a net bowler from here and life has come a long way. I always dreamt of playing for my home franchise, and now that dream has come true. I am very excited for the new journey with Rajasthan Royals. My family is very happy. I am waiting for home support. I want to give them good memories this season with wickets and wins for my team," Bishnoi told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.

The 25-year-old has played for two IPL teams — Lucknow Super Giants and Punjab Kings, and has featured in 77 games, bagging 72 wickets.

"Life has come a long way. I have played for two teams so far — Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants. KL Rahul bhai at Punjab Kings supported me a lot and gave me a lot of freedom. I was grateful to play under Rishabh Pant bhai at Lucknow Super Giants. The best part of playing under both — Pant and KL Rahul — was that they always gave me liberty and freedom on the field. I have learnt a lot from KL Rahul. He has an abundance of knowledge," he said.

"KL Rahul bhai and Rishabh Pant bhai always said, ‘Jo karna hai kar, apni field laga. I trust you.’ The best thing was that they both were keepers, and a lot of guidance and tips came from behind the wickets whenever I was bowling. Pant bhai also emphasised fielding," the spinner added.

Bishnoi was retained by Lucknow Super Giants ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction for Rs 11 crore, but after managing just nine wickets in 11 matches at an economy rate of 10.83, he was released by LSG following a four-year stint with the franchise.


"The price tag is nothing in front of playing in front of your home crowd. I am thankful to Rajasthan Royals and really excited to play this season for them," Bishnoi said.

Now, Bishnoi will be sharing the ball with another Ravi — experienced spinner Ravindra Jadeja.

"I am really excited for that deadly combo. I am eager to share the ball with him from the other end. He has got a lot of experience. He has played for this team in the past. His experience will matter a lot in IPL 2026," he said.

"Googly is my main weapon. But with age, I have worked on my variations. Finger movement has helped me a lot. There is a lot of competition, so you need to keep improving. I spend a lot of time in the nets and keep bowling the same delivery until I get the desired results. If you want to play for long, whether for a franchise or India, you need to practise again and again. You need to grind really hard to stay in contention. You need to keep improving day by day and bring something new in terms of bowling and deliveries. You need to develop your game sense. The harder you grind, the better you become," Bishnoi said.

"All I want is to hear cheers from my home fans. I am really eager to go out in the middle and play in front of my home crowd," the spinner signed off.