It’s not often we see batters nail six sixes on consecutive deliveries in cricket. A handful of batters have pulled off the feat.
But here we have Priyansh Arya, who joined this exclusive club during the 2024 Delhi Premier League (DPL). And this helped him earn a contract in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Yes, it did play a part in landing him a lucrative deal, but it wasn’t limited to those mighty sixes.
Here’s a look at Priyansh Arya’s journey to the IPL.
Early Days
Before the six sixes and IPL deal, things weren’t rosy for Arya. He had his highs and lows before getting into the limelight.
Arya started his cricket career somewhere at the age of 9 or 10. He joined the cricket academy run by Sanjay Bhardwaj, who coached Gautam Gambhir.
In his early stages, Arya would observe players like Gambhir, Nitish Rana, and Unmukt Chand bat for hours from up close. It was no less than a masterclass for him, which helped him develop his skills.
Thanks to his immense potential, Arya found a place in Delhi’s under-14 team and even played for India’s under-19 side. He was slowly climbing up the ladder, but then came a setback.
The Setback
While Arya played for India’s under-19 team, he missed out on the under-19 World Cup selection. And it was because of an oversight on his part.
He didn’t know about the age test players need to carry at the under-16s level. Since he hadn’t done an age test, he could play at the under-19s level for only two years (till age 17) and missed out on the 2020 World Cup despite being eligible to play.
After the under-19 World Cup snub, it was a tough road ahead for him. It wasn’t until 2021 that Arya earned his senior call-up for Delhi.
Delhi drafted him in the T20 side for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) in November 2021, but he couldn’t quite nail down his position. Arya didn’t put up noticeable performances, which meant he was out of the team straightaway.
Two years later, he was back in the SMAT squad and ended up as Delhi’s lead run-scorer. Arya scored 222 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 166.91.
This, however, wasn’t enough to grab the attention of the IPL franchises. He had registered for the IPL 2024 auction, but no team bid for him.
These setbacks didn’t bother him a lot. Arya understood he needed to be consistent. And by the time he turned 23 in 2024, things started to fall into place.
The Purple Patch
Arya was a month short of completing 23 years when the Delhi Premier League (DPL) kicked off in August 2024. And in the very first match, he set things on fire.
His outing for South Delhi Superstarz brought him into the limelight. He had scores of 57, 82, 53, 45, 107, and 88 on his way to the ‘six sixes in an over’ feat.
In a game against North Delhi Strikers, Arya achieved the unbelievable feat. It was a pure display of his six-hitting ability.
The left-hander finished DPL 2024 as the top run-scorer, with 608 runs in 10 innings. Except for a couple of matches, he scored 45 or more runs in seven innings – two centuries and four fifties.
This sheer consistency made him an instant lock-in for Delhi’s SMAT squad for the 2024/25 season. And Arya carried the form in the national T20 tournament.
A day before the IPL 2025 auction, Arya once again reminded everyone of his power-hitting. He blasted a 102-run knock against Uttar Pradesh to start a bidding battle a day later.
Half the work was done for Arya. The six sixes and this century placed him on the radar of IPL teams.
Four franchises showed interest in the aggressive batter. But it was Punjab Kings (PBKS) who snapped up Arya for INR 3.8 crore.
That was perhaps the best moment of his life. But Arya didn’t stop there. He wrapped up the SMAT 2024/25 season with 325 runs to emerge as Delhi’s lead run-scorer (again!).
Makes it Big in IPL
Looking at Arya’s consistent performances, PBKS handed him the debut straight off. And he repaid the faith in the very first IPL match of his career.
The left-hand opener got off the mark with a four and smashed 47 runs off 23 balls. He fell short of a well-deserved fifty, but the platform he set helped PBKS amass 243 runs.
In the next two games, Arya couldn’t quite replicate the same performance. He had scores of 8 and 0 before he made it big.
Arya dished out his maiden IPL century, that too in 39 balls against a team like Chennai Super Kings! His knock went down in the record books as the fourth-fastest IPL hundred.
With this knock, Arya showed the reason behind landing an IPL deal with PBKS. His instinct-backed, fearless hitting, coupled with his consistency, has brought him to the biggest stage. And Arya would hope it opens the doors to the Indian team as well.
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