Shubham Ranjane: All heart on the field, anchored by it at home

Right after cracking a cover drive off Shaheen Afridi to bring up his maiden T20 half-century, a limping Shubham Ranjane leapt high in the air, let out a deafening roar, and thumped his chest repeatedly before raising his bat toward the dugout. That chest-thump was pure reflex—a thump of gratitude from a lion-hearted cricketer to the heart that had dragged him through the two greatest nights of his life even as his body fought against him.

That resolve was on display at a packed Wankhede Stadium against India, where Ranjane produced a dreamlike 37 off just 18 balls despite a freak knee injury sustained in his follow-through during the first innings, the same injury he carried into the Pakistan game.

The pain was severe enough to leave him screaming in his hotel room that night, severe enough that he needed his wife's shoulder just to make it to the team bus the following morning. And yet, with barely any range of motion in that knee, Ranjane kept dropping to that ailing knee time and again, forcing his body into positions it resisted, to launch the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Hardik Pandya, and Shaheen Shah Afridi over the fence clinically.

"I kept reminding him about how he has been there and done it before. He played through similar circumstances when he had a grade two tear on his ankle and still scored a hundred against Maharashtra. Even played when he was diagnosed with jaundice. We had the belief he will pull through," Mousam, Ranjane's wife, told Cricbuzz.

This daredevilry runs deep in Ranjane's bloodline. His late grandfather, Vasant Ranjane, once bowled through a Test match with bleeding feet, the spikes of inferior shoes having pierced clean through the sole. That same spirit, coupled with the infectious energy Ranjane carries, makes him impossible to ignore on a cricket field.

It is a quality that struck Anurag Jain, co-owner of the Texas Super Kings, as he watched Shubham Ranjane up close against India. "He's like an on-field Hardik Pandya," Jain remarked. Ranjane's eagerness to own every moment, whether with bat, ball, or by hurtling himself across the field during crunch phases, comes through clearly. Much like Pandya, he wears his heart on his sleeve.

That confidence showed even in the heat of the India game. After dropping his long-time admirer and friend Suryakumar Yadav in his follow-through, Ranjane turned towards the batter with a wry smile and quipped, "Dada, yeh pakad leta toh tere ko ghar chhodne ko main hi aata." The message was plain: 'Had he held on, he would have sent India packing with much fanfare'.

Ranjane followed up the Pakistan game with a blistering 48* off 24 deliveries against the Netherlands, almost positioning him as a find of the tournament, with scouts taking notice of a natural six-hitter, a gun fielder, and a handy bowler.

He is riding a prolonged purple patch that began with a breakthrough Major League Cricket season, where he piled on runs at an average touching 60 while striking at 160. The Texas Super Kings were quick to reward his impact with a stint at the Jo'burg Super Kings as an overseas player.

Yet, this surge in form has not been without its detours. Just months earlier, in February 2025, Ranjane found himself at crossroads, uncertain of his place in American cricket. After a couple of underwhelming seasons, the Seattle Orcas decided to release him ahead of the 2025 MLC domestic draft.

The timing of the news made the moment sting even more. Ranjane and Mousam were on their way to a furniture store when the news landed. Dejected, the couple decided to quietly abandon the shopping plan. Being the sole breadwinner of the house and having just been let go from a $50,000 contract, his primary source of income in the U.S., the uncertainty was numbing.

While Ranjane has become the backbone of almost every team he plays for, he is quick to credit his wife, Mousam, as the steady anchor of their lives. The couple moved to the U.S. barely a month after their wedding in the summer of 2022.

"We moved to America a month into our marriage, into a small apartment in Seattle," Ranjane said. "For the first six months, I was constantly on the move, coaching or playing games in Houston almost every weekend. It wasn't easy. For many players' wives who move to the U.S., it's tough. Visa restrictions mean they can't work, and that sense of independence is suddenly taken away. Mousam made her share of sacrifices too."

All heart on the field, anchored by it at home. Ranjane finds the world at his feet. And no intention of playing small.