Rajasthan Royals teammates celebrate pacer’s birthday at team hotel ahead of IPL 2025 restart [Watch]

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) have shared a clip of the players celebrating pacer Tushar Deshpande’s birthday at the team hotel. The right-arm fast bowler turned 30 on Thursday, May 15.

To mark the occasion, Deshpande's teammates gathered as he cut his birthday cake, only to have it smeared on his face in classic team tradition. His wife, Nabha Gaddamwar, was also present at the celebration.

Fans can watch the video here (via RR's X handle):

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Meanwhile, the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 is set to resume on Saturday, May 17, after the BCCI suspended the tournament on May 9. The Rajasthan Royals will return to action on Sunday, May 18, when they host the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

RR's final league match will be against MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Tuesday, May 20, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Sanju Samson’s side have already been eliminated from playoff contention and currently sit ninth in the points table with just six points from 12 games.

A look at Tushar Deshpande's IPL 2025 campaign for Rajasthan Royals

Tushar Deshpande enjoyed IPL 2023 and 2024 with the Chennai Super Kings, picking up 38 wickets in 29 matches over the two seasons. The 30-year-old was subsequently acquired by the Rajasthan Royals for INR 6.50 crore during the 2025 mega auction.

However, the pacer has struggled to replicate the form that made him a standout performer in previous seasons, having appeared in just eight matches this year. He has taken six wickets at an average of 45.00, alongside a high economy rate of 11.25.

Throughout his IPL career, Deshpande has played 44 matches, claiming 48 wickets at an average of 31.52 and an economy rate of 9.89. His best performance to date in the T20 tournament remains an impressive 4/27 against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) during the 2024 season.

About the author

Dev is a cricket writer at Sportskeeda with over 2 years of experience. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and has previously worked at Times Now as a sports writer. He played cricket in the Delhi Little Cricket League in 2016, and was among the Top 50 batters in the U-16 category.

His degree has empowered him with a good understanding of ethics in journalism and effective interviewing techniques, which he employs in his articles. He researches and verifies facts from multiple sources and remains impartial in his viewpoints. He has had the privilege of interviewing renowned sports journalist Vijay Lokapally.

Dev loves cricket because of its ability to keep spectators on the edge of their seats and its ability to foster a sense of community and shared passion. He is a staunch supporter of the Indian cricket team and his favorite cricketer is Yuvraj Singh, especially after he hit those iconic six sixes in an over in 2007. He also admires Rohit Sharma’s leadership as he led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles and Team India to the T20 World Cup.

When he’s not working, Dev enjoys watching football or catching up on his sleep.

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Edited by Parag Jain