T Natarajan

T Natarajan

Indian Left Arm Bowl
t20 Int ALL TIME STATS
4 Mat
16 Overs
122 Runs
7 W
7.62 E/R

Personal Information

Full Name Thangarasu Natarajan
Date of Birth April 4, 1991
Age 33 Years
Nationality Indian
Birth Place Chinnappampatti, Salem, Tamil Nadu
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Current Team(s)
Role Bowler
Bowling Style Left-arm fast-medium
Past Team(s)
Debut December 2, 2020
Jersey No. 44
Family S Thangarasu (Father), Shantha (Mother), Pavithra Natarajan (Wife) & Hanvika (Daughter)

Most Recent Matches

Match R BF 4s 6s S/R O R W E/R
TT vs DD 0 0 0 0 0 2 11 0 5.50
TT vs LKK 0 0 0 0 0 4 36 0 9.00
TT vs TGC 0 0 0 0 0 3 6 3 2.00
TT vs NRK 0 0 0 0 0 4 36 4 9.00
TT vs SS 0 0 0 0 0 4 30 2 7.50

Batting Stats

View All right-arrow
Game Type Mat Inn R BF NO Avg S/R 100s 50s H 4s 6s Ct St
ODIs 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TESTs 1 1 1 9 1 0 11.11 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
T20Is 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
T20s 95 6 8 15 5 8.00 53.33 0 0 3 0 0 26 0
LISTAs 25 8 15 30 6 7.50 50.00 0 0 7 2 0 7 0
FIRSTCLASS 21 23 29 163 9 2.07 17.79 0 0 12 3 0 5 0

Bowling Stats

View All right-arrow
Game Type Mat Inn O R W Avg E/R Best 5w 10w
ODIs 2 2 20 143 3 47.66 7.15 2/70 0 0
TESTs 1 2 38.2 119 3 39.66 3.10 3/119 0 0
T20Is 4 4 16 122 7 17.42 7.62 3/30 0 0
T20s 95 95 340.2 2876 104 27.65 8.45 4/19 0 0
LISTAs 25 25 192.3 968 32 30.25 5.02 4/38 0 0
FIRSTCLASS 21 35 609.4 1849 67 27.59 3.03 8/84 3 0

T Natarajan News

"Right now, I am avoiding red-ball cricket" - T Natarajan "Right now, I am avoiding red-ball cricket" - T Natarajan
"Right now, I am avoiding red-ball cricket" - T Natarajan
[Picture] “Honored to return to where it all began!” – SRH’s T Natarajan pays a visit to his school as chief guest [Picture] “Honored to return to where it all began!” – SRH’s T Natarajan pays a visit to his school as chief guest
[Picture] “Honored to return to where it all began!” – SRH’s T Natarajan pays a visit to his school as chief guest
"He has not put himself on the park for the last 3 years" - Ravichandran Ashwin on T Natarajan's exclusion from Duleep Trophy 2024 squads "He has not put himself on the park for the last 3 years" - Ravichandran Ashwin on T Natarajan's exclusion from Duleep Trophy 2024 squads
"He has not put himself on the park for the last 3 years" - Ravichandran Ashwin on T Natarajan's exclusion from Duleep Trophy 2024 squads
TNPL 2024: How did the IPL players fare in IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans vs Salem Spartans, Match 20? ft. R Sai Kishore & T Natarajan TNPL 2024: How did the IPL players fare in IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans vs Salem Spartans, Match 20? ft. R Sai Kishore & T Natarajan
TNPL 2024: How did the IPL players fare in IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans vs Salem Spartans, Match 20? ft. R Sai Kishore & T Natarajan
TNPL 2024: How did the IPL players fare in Chepauk Super Gillies vs IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans, Match 8? Ft. Vijay Shankar & T Natarajan TNPL 2024: How did the IPL players fare in Chepauk Super Gillies vs IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans, Match 8? Ft. Vijay Shankar & T Natarajan
TNPL 2024: How did the IPL players fare in Chepauk Super Gillies vs IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans, Match 8? Ft. Vijay Shankar & T Natarajan

T Natarajan Videos

PBKS vs SRH : Shikhar Dhawan ने 143 में से 99 runs मारे, CSK के Ruturaj Gaikwad से ORANGE CAP छीनी | IPL 2023
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5:23
PBKS vs SRH : Shikhar Dhawan ने 143 में से 99 runs मारे, CSK के Ruturaj Gaikwad से ORANGE CAP छीनी | IPL 2023
Cricket: Top 5 Players to Watch out for in 2021 
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3:43
Cricket: Top 5 Players to Watch out for in 2021 
5 Cricketers who Proved 'Nothing is Impossible' From | Zeros to Heroes
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3:25
5 Cricketers who Proved 'Nothing is Impossible' From | Zeros to Heroes
IPL2020: The Inspiring Journey of Hyderabad's T Natarajan | SRH 
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3:20
IPL2020: The Inspiring Journey of Hyderabad's T Natarajan | SRH 

T Natarajan: A Brief Biography

T Natarajan in his debut T20I against Australia (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)
T Natarajan in his debut T20I against Australia (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)

Born on April 04, 1991, in the small village of Chinnappampatti near Salem district in Tamil Nadu, Thangarasu Natarajan is a left-arm medium-fast pacer who has had the perfect tale from poverty to prosperity as he burst onto the national set-up with his versatility as a bowler.

Hailed as the ‘Yorker King’ in the Indian Premier League, Natarajan earned his reputation by bowling toe-crushing yorkers, coupled with accuracy, controlled line and lengths, and cutters. His rise to the top is nothing short of inspiration for the youngsters and he has proven that it's better to start late than never.

T Natarajan: Along the Years

YearAgeAchievement
201523Made Ranji Trophy debut for Tamil Nadu
201725Made Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy debut for Tamil Nadu
201725Bought by Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) for INR 3 crores
201725Made IPL debut against now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant
201826Bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 40 lakhs
201827Made Vijay Hazare Trophy debut for Tamil Nadu
201928Finished as Runners-up in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019-20
201928Finished as Runners-up in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019-20
202029Made ODI debut against Australia
202029Made T20I debut against Australia
202129Made Test debut against Australia
202129Won Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2020-21
202130Won Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021-22
202432Finished as Runners-up in the Indian Premier League 2024

T Natarajan Records

  • Second-most wickets for Sunrisers Hyderabad (16) in IPL 2020 after Rashid Khan

  • First Indian to make his international debut across all three formats in the same series (vs AUS, 2020)

  • Second-most wickets for Sunrisers Hyderabad (18) in IPL 2022 after Umran Malik

  • Most wickets for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024 (19)

T Natarajan Career

T Natarajan has been a reliable bowler who has mastered the art of death bowling. He has risen to the occasion despite being sidelined due to injuries on numerous occasions and would be aiming to fly high in the coming years.

T Natarajan Domestic Career

Like every Indian kid, T Natarajan took up tennis-ball cricket as a hobby. However, one day a well-wisher from his district named A Jayaprakash, a Salem division cricketer, identified his skill as a bowler and asked Natarajan to try his hand at local competitive cricket. Motivated by the words, Natarajan relocated to Chennai and joined a cricket club in the city.

He first came into the limelight when he represented the team of BSNL in the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association’s fourth-division league. Natarajan then played 1st division cricket for Vijay Cricket Club for almost a year. Later, he moved to Jolly Rovers, a popular club that has fielded big names like Ravichandran Ashwin and Murali Vijay.

Natarajan made his first-class debut for Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy on the 5th of January, 2015. In a match that was ultimately drawn, he made a great debut by taking 3 wickets in the first innings itself. With a low average and economy, and the guaranteed chance of taking wickets, Natarajan has become a favorite of the selectors of the Tamil Nadu Ranji Trophy side.

T Natarajan posing at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)
T Natarajan posing at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)

Natarajan’s first breakthrough came in 2016 when he represented Dindigul Dragons in the inaugural edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL).

T Natarajan celebrates a wicket with wicketkeeper Narayan Jagadeesan for Dindigul Dragons in the inaugural season of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)
T Natarajan celebrates a wicket with Narayan Jagadeesan in the inaugural season of TNPL (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)

He currently represents the IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans in TNPL 2024.

The Salem pacer made his T20 debut for Tamil Nadu against Karnataka on January 29, 2017, and was quite impressive on debut, returning with figures of 2/26. He made his List-A debut for Tamil Nadu against Gujarat on September 20, 2018, but went wicketless in his maiden outing.

T Natarajan in a training session ahead of Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019-20 (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)
T Natarajan in a training session ahead of Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019-20 (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)

Natarajan won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2020-21 with Tamil Nadu by defeating Karnataka in the final.

T Natarajan after winning the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2020-21 (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)
T Natarajan after winning the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2020-21 (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)

T Natarajan IPL Career

A true rags-to-riches story, T Natarajan joined the million-dollar club when Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) picked him up for INR 3 crores for IPL 2017 after his sterling performances in the domestic season and in the first season of TNPL as well. He played in 6 games in his debut IPL season and picked up 2 wickets.

T Natarajan in a training session for the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)
T Natarajan in a training session for the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)

After a mediocre season with the Kings XI, Natarajan was sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2018 auction for INR 40 lakhs.

Though he did not get to play across the two editions, Natarajan ensured that he grabbed all the eyeballs on a global scale when he had a breakthrough season in IPL 2020. He was the talk of the town when he grasped the art of bamboozling the batters with unplayable yorkers and put it into full effect largely in the death overs as well. He picked up 16 wickets in 16 games in the United Arab Emirates and led the bowling attack with his left-arm skillset, forging a stringent partnership alongside veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar and spinner Rashid Khan. In the eliminator against Royal Challengers Bangalore (now Royal Challengers Bengaluru), he cluttered the stumps of South African AB de Villiers, which not only left the veteran batter in awe but also left the cricketing world amazed.

T Natarajan celebrates a wicket against the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2020 (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)
T Natarajan celebrates a wicket against Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2020 (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)

In IPL 2021, he could only play a couple of games as he was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament after an injury. In the IPL 2022 mega auction, the Sunrisers battled with Delhi Capitals and newly-inducted Gujarat Titans to acquire his services, and he was sold to the Orange Army for INR 4 crores. He had yet another impressive season with the ball by picking up 18 wickets at an average of 22.56.

T Natarajan celebrates a wicket against Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2022 (Image Credits: Sunisers Hyderabad's Instagram)
T Natarajan celebrates a wicket against Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2022 (Image Credits: Sunisers Hyderabad's Instagram)

After having a mediocre season in IPL 2023 where the Sunrisers finished at the bottom of the table, the 33-year-old pacer came back to his wicket-taking form in IPL 2024. He registered his career-best figures of 4/19, including an astounding feat of a triple-wicket maiden in the nineteenth over against the Delhi Capitals, which got overlooked, thanks to Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma’s hammering.

He finished the season as Sunrisers’ leading wicket-taker with 19 wickets in 14 games as SRH finished as runners-up against the Kolkata Knight Riders.

T Natarajan with the Purple Cap after a league game against Rajasthan Royals (Image Credits: Sunrisers Hyderabad's Instagram)
T Natarajan with the Purple Cap after a league game against Rajasthan Royals (Image Credits: Sunrisers Hyderabad's Instagram)

T Natarajan International Career

Cricket enthusiasts around the world and T Natarajan’s fellow countrymen were all excited to see him in the Indian colors, as his journey was nothing short of inspirational, after his much-talked IPL exploits and he was raring to go.

Natarajan was the first Indian to debut across all three formats in the same tour. He was not the first-choice player in any of these squads and was selected on the back of injuries to the main players. He has had a brief international career so far and has been off the radar with injuries and heavy competition being obstacles to donning the India jersey once again.

T Natarajan ODI Career

With a series victory being out of contention, T Natarajan made his ODI debut in the 3rd ODI against Australia at the Manuka Oval in Canberra, which was supposedly the first match of the Indian cricket team after the outbreak of Coronavirus. He earned the 232nd ODI cap of India from skipper Virat Kohli and was the first pacer from Tamil Nadu to debut after Lakshmipathy Balaji in 2002.

T Natarajan being acknowledged by fellow Indian teammates (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)
T Natarajan being acknowledged by fellow Indian teammates (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)

Though Natarajan was a tad bit expensive in his very first ODI, he picked up the wickets of opener Marnus Labuschagne and all-rounder Ashton Agar as India earned a consolation victory by defeating Australia by 13 runs.

T Natarajan celebrates a wicket in his maiden ODI for India against Australia (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)
T Natarajan celebrates a wicket in his maiden ODI for India against Australia (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)

He was selected for England’s tour of India in 2021 and played in the series decider with the scores 1-1. He picked a solitary wicket of Ben Stokes and was asked to defend 14 runs in the final over against an in-form Sam Curran. With experience in death overs as a skill, Natarajan held his nerve as India won the match by 7 runs.

T Natarajan after clinching series victory against England (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)
T Natarajan after clinching series victory against England (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)

T Natarajan Test Career

T Natarajan was selected for India’s tour of Australia in 2020 as a net bowler. After fast bowler Umesh Yadav was sidelined due to an injury, Natarajan was inducted into the squad as his replacement.

T Natarajan in a photoshoot in the Indian jersey ahead of Test series (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)
T Natarajan in a photo shoot in the Indian jersey ahead of Test series (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)

With players either being injured or unavailable due to COVID-19, Natarajan made his Test debut in the final Test of the series in Gabba, Brisbane. He had an impressive maiden innings with the ball as he picked up two crucial wickets in the form of Matthew Wade and Marnus Labushagne, as well as the final wicket of Josh Hazlewood. With India registering a historic victory down under, Natarajan can hold his head high as he was part of that victorious squad that was written off by every other critic, which remains the only Test that he has played in his career so far.

T Natarajan after winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21 (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)
T Natarajan after winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21 (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)

T Natarajan T20I Career

Soon after making his ODI debut, T Natarajan made his T20I debut against Australia in the same series after he was drafted to replace his injured Tamil Nadu counterpart, Varun Chakravarthy. With his IPL returns on the back of his mind, one would wish to recreate the same magic in Indian colors and the left-arm pacer did not disappoint.

He registered impressive figures of 3/30 in his maiden outing, scalping Glenn Maxwell, D’Arcy Short, and Mitchell Starc as India won the series opener by 11 runs. He continued his IPL form as he finished the three-match T20I series with 6 wickets and a good economy as well.

Australia v India - T20 Game 1
Australia v India - T20 Game 1 (Image Credits: Getty Images)

After clinching the T20I series, Hardik Pandya dedicated his 'Player Of The Match' award that he won. in the 2nd T20I as well as the 'Player Of The Series' award to Natarajan as a heartfelt gesture, that made fans applaud the all-rounder.

Hardik Pandya dedicated his 'Player Of The Series' award to T Natarajan after winning the T20I series against Australia (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)
Hardik Pandya dedicated his 'Player Of The Series' award to T Natarajan after winning the T20I series against Australia (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)

Natarajan had undergone rehab at the National Cricket Academy as he missed the first four matches of England’s tour of India in 2021. He played in the final game of the series and has never had an opportunity to play for India.

T Natarajan with his India and Tamil Nadu teammate Washington Sundar after winning the T20I series against England (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)
T Natarajan with his India and Tamil Nadu teammate Washington Sundar after winning the T20I series against England (Image Credits: T Natarajan's Instagram)

With Natarajan finishing the IPL 2024 season on a high as the Sunrisers’ leading wicket-taker, he was in talks for a potential return to the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2024, but unfortunately, he did not make the cut.

T Natarajan Family

T Natarajan’s family wasn't financially well-off back in the day. While his father S Thangarasu worked as a weaver at a power loom, his mother Shantha ran a roadside snack stall to make ends meet. As the eldest of five siblings, including three sisters and a brother, Natarajan was always worried about taking care of his family. But cricket has been a savior for the Natarajan family.

He married his long-time girlfriend Pavithra Natarajan on June 04, 2018, and was blessed with a daughter named Hanvika in 2020. With Natarajan becoming popular for his varied skillset, he has quite single-handedly globalized the village of Chinappampatti.

T Natarajan Net Worth

As of 2024, T Natarajan has an estimated net worth of INR 14 crores or USD 1.7 million.

T Natarajan Cars

T Natarajan was gifted a Mahindra Thar by Anand Mahindra himself on the back of the historic series victory in Gabba in Australia in 2021.

FAQs on T Natarajan

A. T Natarajan made his IPL debut for the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) against the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant.

A. T Natarajan has played for the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and Sunriers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League.

A. T Natarajan made his international debut in an ODI against Australia in Canberra in December 2020.

A. T Natarajan registered his career-best figures of 4/19 against Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League 2024.

A. T Natarajan finished as runner-up with Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024.