Sarfaraz Khan rose to prominence when aged 12, he broke the record for the highest score in the Harris Shield inter-school tournament, making 439 for Rizvi Springfield in an innings that featured 56 fours and 12 sixes. However, before his introduction to the global scene, Sarfaraz was suspended on charges of fudging his age by the Mumbai Cricket Association, before the board eventually accepted the results of an advanced test.
After an exceptional season for the Mumbai Under-19 team, Sarfaraz, who trains under the tutelage of father and coach Naushad Khan, earned a call-up for the India Under-19 quadrangular series in 2013. He responded with a match-winning 66-ball 101 while chasing against South Africa.
Sarfaraz was then rewarded with a spot in the India squad for the Under-19 World Cup in UAE in 2014. Having scored 211 runs in six games at an average of 70.33, Sarfaraz was set for his transformation to the next level. In 2015, Royal Challengers Bangalore bought him for INR 50 lakhs, and he soon became the youngest player to play in the IPL. A year later, Sarfaraz finished as the second-highest run-scorer in the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh, with 355 runs from six matches, often rescuing India from faltering starts. Sarfaraz left Mumbai for Uttar Pradesh in the 2015-16 domestic season.
Sarfaraz Khan Biography
| Full name | Sarfaraz Naushad Khan |
| Nick Name | Panda |
| Date of Birth/DOB/ age | Oct 22, 1997 (26 years) |
| Birth Place | Mumbai |
| Zodiac sign/Sun sign | Scorpio |
| Profession | Indian Cricketer (Batsman) |
| Country | |
| Cricket Role | WK-Batsman |
| Father name | Naushad Khan |
| Mother name | Tabassum Khan |
| Siblings | Brothers– Musheer Khan (Elder) and Moin Khan(Elder) |
| Married | Married – 6 August 2023 |
| Spouse | Romana Jahur |
| Children | |
| Education Qualification | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Current Residence | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Batting Style | Right Handed Bat |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm leg break |
| Domestic Cricket debut | |
| International Debut | Test– N/A ODI– N/A T20– N/A |
| Teams | India U19, Mumbai, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab Kings, Eagle Thane Strikers, India A, Delhi Capitals, West Zone, Rest of India |
Sarfaraz Khan Physical Statistics
| Height | in centimeters- 165 cm in meters- 1.65 m in Feet Inches- 5’ 5” |
| Weight | in Kilograms- 64 kg in Pounds- 141 lbs |
| Body Measurements (approx.) | – Chest: 38 Inches – Waist: 32 inches – Biceps: 14 Inches |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Hair Color | Black |
Sarfaraz Khan Profile
Sarfaraz Khan, part of a long list of child prodigies from Mumbai, burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old. Sarfaraz’s cricketing journey began early under the tutelage of his father Naushad Khan, a former Mumbai cricketer and a respected coach who’s responsible for nurturing talents like Iqbal Abdullah and Kamran Khan. Known for his quirky and innovative batting, Sarfaraz made his first-class debut in 2014 and was a part of the Indian Under-19 teams that played in the 2014 and 2016 World Cups.
Sarfaraz first made the world sit up and take notice when he scored a magnificent 439 in his maiden Harris Shield game in 2009. Aged just 12, he broke a Sachin Tendulkar record that had stood since 1988. It wasn’t long before Sarfaraz was thrust into the Mumbai U19 side and his performances there led to him earning a place in India’s U19 squad.
Batting in the middle-order, Sarfaraz scored 566 runs at a staggering average of 70.75 across the two U19 World Cups he played. His tally is only bettered by Eoin Morgan (606 runs) and Babar Azam (585 runs). He holds the unique record of most fifties in U19 Cricket World Cups having struck 7 of them across two editions.
His career, however, hasn’t been free of controversy. Sarfaraz was suspended by the Mumbai Cricket Association for fudging his age before they eventually accepted the result of an advanced test. Soon after, he was dismissed from the MCA’s indoor academy camp on disciplinary grounds. Sarfaraz’s temperamental behaviour continued. His match fees for the 2014-15 season were withheld after he directed some rude gestures towards a group of selectors at the end of a U19 game. It wasn’t surprising then that after the 2014-15 season, Sarfaraz decided to leave Mumbai to switch allegiances to Uttar Pradesh.
Two rather uneventful seasons in Uttar Pradesh didn’t further Sarfaraz’s cause. He moved back to Mumbai for the 2019-20 season and that was his real coming of age. His batting in the following two seasons was nothing short of masterful. His numbers after two seasons back at home were jaw dropping and he became only the 3rd batter after Wasim Jaffer and Ajay Sharma to score 900-plus runs in two successive Ranji seasons. Starting as a chubby youngster, Sarfaraz’s ordeals had seen him transform into a fearsome willow-wielding beast in domestic cricket. While opportunities to showcase his talent at a bigger stage have been thin, Sarfaraz has been doing everything he can on the field to break the door down and storm his way through to the next level.
IPL – Through the years
The youngest to feature in an IPL game, Sarfaraz Khan was roped in by Royal Challengers Bangalore at the 2015 auctions. He shot to fame with his unbeaten knock of 45 off 21 Rajasthan Royals. While walking back to the dressing room after playing that innings, RCB skipper Virat Kohli bowed in front of the 17-year-old – an unforgettable moment. Despite his cameos in 2016, he was dropped from the playing XI due to his lack of fitness. The following year, he missed the IPL as he suffered a leg injury. In a surprising move, RCB decided to retain him in 2018 ahead of Chris Gayle and KL Rahul, which raised plenty of eyebrows. Sarfaraz’s performance was well below par and that forced the RCB management to release him ahead of the 2019 season.
The pocket-sized dynamo was then snapped up by Kings XI Punjab to boost their lower-middle order. But his performances didn’t do justice to his ability and he saw his stocks dip drastically. From being retained for INR 4 crore by RCB in 2018, Sarfaraz found himself being picked up for his base price of INR 20 lakh by the Delhi Capitals in the 2023 IPL Auction.
Sarfaraz Khan Stats
Batting & Fielding
| FORMAT | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | Ct | St |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC | 45 | 66 | 10 | 3912 | 301* | 69.85 | 5550 | 70.48 | 14 | 11 | 443 | 73 | 50 | 0 |
| List A | 37 | 27 | 9 | 629 | 117 | 34.94 | 668 | 94.16 | 2 | 0 | 67 | 13 | 16 | 0 |
| T20s | 96 | 74 | 21 | 1188 | 67 | 22.41 | 926 | 128.29 | 0 | 3 | 116 | 33 | 38 | 0 |
Bowling
| FORMAT | Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w | 10w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC | 45 | 17 | 412 | 295 | 5 | 2/32 | 2/48 | 59.00 | 4.29 | 82.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| List A | 37 | 3 | 54 | 56 | 1 | 1/17 | 1/17 | 56.00 | 6.22 | 54.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T20s | 96 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 0 | – | – | – | 6.75 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sarfaraz Khan IPL Auction Price History
| Year | Price | Team |
| 2018 | 3.00 Cr | Bangalore |
| 2019 | 25.00 Lac | Punjab |
| 2020 | 25.00 Lac | Punjab |
| 2021 | 25.00 Lac | Punjab |
| 2022 | 20.00 Lac | Delhi |
| 2023 | 20.00 Lac | Delhi |
Sarfaraz Khan’s Social Media Accounts
| SARFARAZ KHAN (@sarfarazkhan97) | |
| Sarfaraz Khan (@sarfankhan97) | |
| Wikipedia | Sarfaraz Khan (cricketer) |
Some Lesser-Known Facts About Sarfaraz Khan
- Does Sarfaraz Khan smoke?: No
- Sarfaraz became the youngest player to play in the IPL after he was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for 50 lakhs (INR) in 2015.
- He and his brother Musheer are both coached by his father.
- He was Man of the Match in an U-19 World Cup match against Pakistan where he scored 74 runs and took one wicket.
- He stole the show for Royal Challengers Bangalore in an IPL 2015 match against Rajasthan Royals by scoring a quick 45 runs off 21 balls in Bangalore.
- He had some aggressive behaviour issues, after which his father consulted a sports psychiatrist called Dr Mugdha Bavare, who largely helped him out of this issue.
- For a month in 2012, he played in the Hull Cricket Club in the United Kingdom for the Yorkshire League.
- He shares his birthday (27 October) with Kumara Sangakkara.
- When he was playing a domestic Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament final match for Mumbai against Baroda, his team needed 3 runs of the last ball, and he hit a scooped six to win that match.
- Made 439 runs in a Harris Shield match and broke the record of Sachin Tendulkar for the highest score in Mumbai’s Inter-school tournament.
- Youngest player to play in the IPL at the age of 17.
- Record for the most 50s in a U-19 World Cup history with 7
