Tanveer Sangha was included in Australia’s playing XI for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semifinal against India at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. Steve Smith won the toss and chose to bat, announcing that Sangha and Cooper Connolly replaced the injured Matthew Short. India remained unchanged from their last group-stage match against New Zealand.
Who Is Tanveer Sangha?
Born and raised in Sydney, Sangha excelled in multiple sports as a youth, though his parents initially wanted him to pursue volleyball. He eventually focused on cricket, switching from pace to leg-spin after realizing he lacked the height and speed required for fast bowling.
Sangha is only the fourth player of Indian origin to represent Australia, following Gurinder Sandhu, Stuart Clark, and Bransby Cooper. His father, Joga Singh, hails from a village near Punjab’s Jalandhar and works as a taxi driver in Sydney. His mother, Upjeet Kaur, is from Fiji and works as an accountant.
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Sangha’s Cricket Journey
The 23-year-old leg-spinner has played three ODIs and seven T20Is for Australia, taking two and ten wickets, respectively. His cricket journey began in 2018 when he represented Australia’s Under-16 team. That same year, he led New South Wales Metro to victory in the U17 National Championships and was the leading wicket-taker. His performances earned him a place in Australia’s U19 squad for a Sri Lanka tour in 2019 and the prestigious NSW Cricket Basil Sellers Scholarship.
Sangha was selected as the Sydney Thunder Development Rookie for the Big Bash League (BBL) in 2018 and earned a first-team promotion in 2019. He represented Australia in the 2020 U19 World Cup in South Africa, taking 15 wickets in six matches at an average of 11.46.
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At 18, he secured a state contract with New South Wales and made his BBL debut for Sydney Thunder in the 2020-21 season, finishing as the third-highest wicket-taker with 21 wickets. In 2021, he was named in Australia’s T20I squad for the New Zealand series and made his first-class debut for New South Wales.
In 2023, Sangha made his T20I debut against South Africa at Kingsmead, taking four wickets for 31 runs. This performance made him the youngest Australian to claim a four-wicket haul in Men’s T20Is.
