Ravi Bishnoi Biography: Stats, Height, Age, Family, IPL Team, RR Salary & Full Career Story

Western Rajasthan had no meaningful cricket infrastructure when Bishnoi was starting out, the region hadn’t produced an international cricketer since independence. As a boy, he played tennis-ball cricket on a barren RTO ground in Jodhpur’s BJS Colony, where two local senior players, Shahrukh Pathan and Pradyot Singh Rathore, spotted his potential and began coaching him informally. Recognising his talent, they advised him to abandon medium pace and switch to leg spin, a decision that would define his career.

With no funds and no facility to call their own, Bishnoi, his coaches, and a group of fellow youngsters built a ground from scratch: clearing rocks by hand, planting grass themselves, and ordering the special red mud needed for the pitch because they couldn’t afford a JCB truck. This became the Spartans Cricket Academy, located roughly 20 kilometres from Bishnoi’s home, a distance he covered twice daily on a bicycle his coaches gifted him for the commute.

Rejected Twice, Selected Once: The Road to the 2020 U-19 World Cup

Bishnoi’s path wasn’t smooth even after finding his coaches. He was snubbed at trials for Rajasthan’s Under-16 squad once, and the Under-19 squad twice, before his coaches personally intervened with selectors to secure him another opportunity. It finally paid off, he broke into Rajasthan’s Under-19 setup and made his T20 debut for Rajasthan in the 2018–19 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

In March 2018, Bishnoi was called up as a net bowler for Rajasthan Royals at their Jaipur camp,an opportunity so significant to him that he skipped his own 12th-standard board exam to attend. That exposure, combined with strong domestic form, earned him a place in India’s squad for the 2020 Under-19 World Cup in South Africa. He was the standout performer of the tournament, finishing as the leading wicket-taker with 17 scalps, including a spell of 4 wickets for 5 runs off eight overs against Japan, as India reached the final.

A Net Bowler’s Shortcut to the IPL

Even before the Under-19 World Cup concluded, Bishnoi’s rising reputation had already secured him an IPL contract: Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) signed him for ₹2 crore at the December 2019 auction. He made an immediate impact in his rookie IPL 2020 season, taking 12 wickets in 14 matches, and repeated the feat the following year with 12 wickets in just nine matches for Punjab.

Two Wickets on Debut and a Fast Climb to No. 1

Bishnoi’s consistent IPL form fast-tracked his international entry. He made his T20I debut against the West Indies at Eden Gardens on 16 February 2022, taking figures of 2 for 17 and winning the Player of the Match award on debut. He added his only ODI cap against South Africa on 6 October 2022, a format he has not returned to since, reflecting India’s crowded spin-bowling depth in 50-over cricket.

His rise in T20Is was rapid. By December 2023, after a standout series against Australia in which he took nine wickets in five matches and won Player of the Series, Bishnoi rose to the No. 1 spot in the ICC Men’s T20I Bowling Rankings, leapfrogging Rashid Khan at just 23 years old. His signature moment came against the West Indies in August 2022, when he ran through the middle order with figures of 4 for 16, a spell that included dismissing Rovman Powell for the third time in six matches.

The 2025 Wobble: Losing Form, a Franchise, and a Place in Blue

Despite being one of India’s most feared white-ball spinners through 2022–2024, Bishnoi’s momentum stalled heading into 2025. He was left out of India’s squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup, with selectors preferring the more experienced Yuzvendra Chahal. Then came a genuine slump: in IPL 2025, by his own admission, he was “bowling far too full,” losing both his wicket-taking sharpness and his place in India’s T20I setup, his last T20I appearance came in February 2025 against England.

The dip carried consequences beyond the national team. Lucknow Super Giants, who had built much of their bowling identity around him since 2022, released Bishnoi ahead of the IPL 2026 mega auction. He was picked up by Rajasthan Royals for ₹7.2 crore, and used the off-season to work on the “physical, technical and mental aspects” of his game, specifically correcting his lengths, which had drifted too full and become easy to target. The turnaround was immediate: in the early rounds of IPL 2026, he was again among the tournament’s top wicket-takers, including a Player-of-the-Match performance of 4 for 41 against Gujarat Titans.

Career Highs