Raj Limbani has been in top form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy this season. The Baroda pacer has already picked 14 wickets in just four games at 21.50, including a five-wicket haul against Bengal.

What remains hidden beneath these stats is how impressive he has been in adjusting to the docile pitches on show in Rajkot. His first three encounters came with the side opting to bowl first. With the surfaces carrying good bounce due to the moisture in the first hour of play, Limbani used the short ball to great effect.

But his resolve was tested during the game against Hyderabad. Bowling second on a flat pitch, with the opposition looking to chase down 418, Limbani’s bouncer ploy was met with strong pull shots by Pragnay Reddy. At the end of his first spell, he had conceded over 11 runs per over.

The 20-year-old fought back with his well-disguised slower deliveries at the death, snatching the game back from the hands of Hyderabad, which needed 78 runs in just over six overs when Limbani removed centurion Pragnay on 113.

“In the last three matches, we were bowling first. Our plan was to hit the bouncer. Against Hyderabad, we started this plan, but when the runs came, we changed,” Limbani told Sports stars. “They planned to use the pace of the ball. We realised that a little late. We used the cutters as much as we could in death. Had we read it quicker, we could have killed the game early,” he added.

Limbani’s performance has earned him appreciation from Baroda’s bowling coach Sreenath Aravind.

“Raj (Limbani) has been in excellent form this season. He has been very accurate in his bowling,” said the former India international.

After three matches with the new white ball in hand, Limbani was brought into the attack only after the first PowerPlay against Hyderabad. Sreenath said that it was a decision to help him learn more about match situations.

“The main purpose for him is getting experience day by day, match by match. He’s learnt a lot about variations, hitting the right area in the deck, about match situations. A fast bowler’s mentality is to always try and bowl faster. Matches like this will help them learn the condition and bowl according to it,” the former Karnataka pacer alluded.

Experience of the highest level

Limbani hails from a village called Dayapar, just 30-odd kilometres from the Pakistan border in the Rann of Kutch area of Gujarat. To further his dreams of playing cricket, his father, a farmer, had to send him over 550 km away to the city of Baroda, when he was just 12, to live with his uncle.

A steep rise through the age group levels at Baroda helped Limbani seal a place in the India Under-19 World Cup squad for the 2024 World Cup held in South Africa. With a prodigious inswinger in his repertoire, he scalped 11 wickets in the tournament, including three in the final as India finished runner-up to Australia.

“The experience was great. We got to understand the level you have to be to represent your country and the feeling it brings. Listening to the national anthem while playing the first game especially felt very nice,” the pacer said.

Limbani has adjusted well to the rigours of domestic cricket after his age-group and Under-19 World Cup exploits. He says seniors like Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya and Atit Sheth have played a great role in helping him settle in.

“In age-group cricket, only people of your age will play. In the seniors, when you play the first match, there will be a player with 100 matches of experience. How quickly you can adjust to that matters,” the right-arm quick explained. “The seniors in the team are very open-minded. Whatever question you ask, they explain it to us. We don’t get to feel that they are big players. They are very frank with us,” he added.

Despite trials with Indian Premier League (IPL) teams like Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad over the last couple of seasons and a stint with the Gujarat Titans as a net bowler, Limbani couldn’t find a home during the recently concluded IPL 2026 mini-auction. “I am obviously disappointed. But it’s not in my hands. I can only continue to put in the hard work,” Limbani says.

By showing the impact he can create with a potent bouncer and an impressive slower delivery at the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Limbani could already be on the radar if teams need an injury replacement through the upcoming season. Till then, wickets are all he is gunning for.