It is indeed a fairytale how Shubham Dubey joined the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League. After a protracted period of perseverance, the 29-year-old eventually received his big break when the Royals acquired him for an incredible INR 5.8 crore in the IPL 2024 auction.
Due to the IPL clubs’ interest in Dubey after his outstanding domestic cricket exploits for Vidarbha, a bidding war broke out. But things weren’t perfect for the left-hander right away.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Shubham Dubey discussed his modest upbringing. He talked about how Mr. Sudeep Jaiswal, the late president of the District Bar Association (DBA), offered him a chance while his family was having financial difficulties.
“We weren’t in such a great financial shape to even think of being provided with a cricket kit. But Mr. Sudeep Jaiswal used to help such players who didn’t have the financial backing to play cricket professionally. He helped me a lot and provided me with all the required equipment right from the start. I used to practice there all day and gradually began to get chances.”
Shubham Dubey
At Jaiswal’s “Advocate XI,” Dubey refined his abilities even more and started to become well-known for his performances. In addition, he stated that, prior to the COVID-19 epidemic, he performed for three to four years at the Times Shield in Mumbai.
In the end, Dubey made his T20 debut against Manipur in November 2021 after breaking into the Vidarbha senior team. Sadly, Mr. Jaiswal was unable to see it since, at the age of 53, he died from COVID earlier that year.
Shubham Dubey on keeping a strong mindset
Shubham Dubey has been traveling with the Vidarbha List A squad since 2022, but he wasn’t able to play in the format until November of last year. He was mostly a backup player and has been on and off the squad.
That being said, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023–2024 was the major break. Dubey had an amazing strike rate of 187.28 while scoring 221 runs in seven games. Dubey underlined the need of maintaining patient and concentrating on the process by saying:
“Even when I didn’t have employment, I had made it a routine to go to the ground in the morning as well as in the evening. I didn’t let any family function or personal reason affect my routine. I used to keep talking to players as well for improvement. Jitesh (Sharma) gave me some valuable advice on how to improve my game when we were roommates at VCA. With practice, things just started to fall in place. Other seniors in the team also helped me a lot.”
Shubham Dubey
Dubey asserted that he would have made an effort to be involved in cricket in some way even if he hadn’t succeeded as a player. The left-hander’s faith that things will turn around for him eventually stems from his passion for the game.
Shubham Dubey has demonstrated that ambitions may finally come true, going from making a living by playing tennis-ball cricket to becoming a possible finisher for the Rajasthan Royals.