International career
Rajan Kumar was born on July 8, 1996, in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. He is a left-arm medium-fast bowler and a right-handed batter. He plays for Uttarakhand in domestic cricket and for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Kumar became known when RCB picked him in the 2023 IPL auction. Though he has only played a few domestic matches, he has already made a strong impact. At 28 years old, he looks up to Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson.
Rajan Kumar has not played in international cricket.
Leagues Participation
Rajan Kumar plays for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was bought by the team in the 2023 auction.
Indian Premier League
Rajan Kumar was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for INR 70 lakhs in the 2023 IPL auction after a good season with Uttarakhand in SMAT 2022-23. He was kept by the team for IPL 2024 but has not played yet. As of November 2024, Rajan Kumar will play for RCB in the 2025 IPL season, possibly replacing Josh Hazlewood.
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Year
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Team
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Notes
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2023
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Royal Challengers Bangalore
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Bought for INR 70 lakhs, did not debut
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2024
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Royal Challengers Bangalore
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Retained by RCB, yet to play
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2025
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Royal Challengers Bangalore
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Will play, could replace Josh Hazlewood
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Domestic career
Rajan Kumar began his domestic career for Uttarakhand in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) during the 2022-23 season. He debuted on October 11, 2022, against Railways in Rajkot. In his first match, he took 2 wickets for just 8 runs in 4 overs and finished the season as the team’s top wicket-taker with 10 wickets from 7 games.
A month later, he played his first List-A match in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022-23 season against Odisha in Mumbai. He took 3 wickets for 24 runs in 8.2 overs.
Kumar also made his first-class debut in the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy on January 5, 2024, against Madhya Pradesh in Dehradun. He took 2 wickets in the first innings, and the match ended in a draw. He claimed 6 wickets across 4 innings during the season.
In the 2023-24 Vijay Hazare Trophy, Rajan helped Uttar Pradesh beat Bihar by 75 runs, taking 5 wickets for 28 runs in his final match of the season.
Records and achievements
Rajan Kumar has reached a few key milestones in his early cricket career.
- Top Wicket-Taker for Uttarakhand in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022-23
Rajan was the highest wicket-taker for Uttarakhand in the 2022-23 T20 season.
- Five-Wicket Haul in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023-24
In the final match of the 2023-24 Vijay Hazare Trophy, he took 5 wickets for 28 runs. This marked his first five-wicket haul in List-A cricket.
- First-Class Debut in Ranji Trophy 2023-24
In his debut in the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy, Rajan took 6 wickets across 4 innings against Madhya Pradesh.
Personal life
Rajan Kumar is a private person and keeps most of his personal life away from the spotlight. Below is what is known about him:
Finance
Rajan Kumar's net worth was about INR 1 crore (USD 1 million) in 2023. This amount is likely to remain similar in 2025.
Fans
He has about 62,000 followers on Instagram.
