RaheelThakkar

Cricket started at home for Raheel. His father watched the game constantly, and as Raheel's interest grew, his mother bought him a plastic bat and a few sponge balls. He and his younger brother spent hours batting and bowling to each other in the house, and at seven he joined his first hard-ball training session.

As a junior he often played in age groups above his own, against bigger and older players, and runs did not come easily. Rather than hold him back, it pushed him to work harder on his game, and he credits those hours for the level he has reached today.

In Singapore, turf pitches are scarce and often reserved for specific fixtures, so Raheel has learned to be creative in training, building sessions that replicate match conditions as closely as possible. Balancing cricket with school has sharpened his focus too, and working through those challenges has given him a clear understanding of his own game.

The results speak for themselves. Raheel has played 14 men's internationals for Singapore, featuring in the squads for the ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League B and the ACC Men's Challenger Cup, where he averaged 55, as well as the Asia Pacific T20 Trophy. In 2026 he struck 16 fifties and a century, with a career-best 154 from 145 balls, and finished as Ceylon Sports Club's leading run-scorer across divisions in the league season.

His goal is simple: to win as many matches as possible for every team he represents, and to keep improving his game.