By Jagdish Yadav
Mohali (Punjab) [India], September 13 : Ludhiana Lions leg-spinner Kartik Chadha has set his sights on representing India, saying he wants to make the most of every opportunity as he continues to make an impression in the Sher-E-Punjab T20 League 2026.
The 22-year-old Chadha has taken 13 wickets in the tournament and is currently the second-highest wicket-taker, behind his Ludhiana Lions teammate Sahil Bhaskar, who has 20 scalps. The leg-spinner's performances have helped the Lions reach the final, where they will face Amritsar Soormas at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Sunday.
"I just want to work hard. And I want to showcase myself on whichever platform I get. I want to give my best. Rest, we'll see. I want to play for India, after all. That's my aim. I want to represent India," Kartik told ANI.

One of Chadha's standout moments in the competition came against Fazilka Falcons, when he dismissed India Test captain Shubman Gill. Although Ludhiana lost the match by one run, Chadha returned impressive figures of four wickets for nine runs, the best bowling figures of the tournament so far.
Reflecting on the dismissal, Chadha said the wicket gave him belief that he could perform at a higher level.
"It was a big achievement for me. He is our test Indian captain. His wicket boosted my confidence that I can do better," he said.
Chadha, who prefers to be regarded as a bowling all-rounder, has also embraced the Sher-E-Punjab T20 League as an important platform to showcase his ability.
"It was very good. First of all, it is a very big platform. I am getting a chance to showcase my talent. So, it has been a good experience so far," said the right-arm spinner.
The spinner will now face another major challenge in the form of Amritsar Soormas captain Naman Dhir, who is the leading run-scorer in the tournament with 626 runs, including a 173-run knock against Mohali Kings during the league stage.
Chadha, whose cricket idols are KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, insists that he will not be overawed by the reputation of the batter and will continue to trust his own strengths.
"I will just back myself. Like I am doing in the tournament. I will back my strength. I don't bowl by looking at the [name of] batter. I just focus on backing my strength. I respect whoever is in front of me, but I don't get affected by the batter."
The 13-wicket campaign is another step in a cricket journey that began with Chadha as a batsman. He represented Punjab at Under-16 level before gradually making the switch to bowling.
Kartik has built a reputation across Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) district tournaments for keeping economy rates exceptionally low during the powerplay and middle overs.
Kartik Chadha got an important boost to his career when Chennai Super Kings (CSK) selected him as an intern bowler for the IPL 2025 season. He spent two months with the team at Chepauk, where he got the chance to bowl regularly to some of the best batters in the world.
"My cricket journey started when I was 8-9 years old. I used to do batting. I was a batsman. So, I played for Punjab under-16 as a batsman. Then, as my age category kept increasing, I started bowling. After that, I started focusing more on bowling. After that, I started getting good results," he said.
Chadha has also credited his teammates, particularly roommate Krish Bhagat, for helping him deal with situations on and off the field.
"Krish is my roommate. We have been together for so many years. We are very close. He keeps telling me how to handle such situations. I learn a lot from him," said Kartik.
"Every player brings something new with him. Arjun [Rajput] knows how to field. He has taken a lot of brilliant catches. He has taught me how to play. Madhav [Pathania] knows how to hit the ball. He knows which ball to choose. I learn a lot from each player," he added.
Ludhiana Lions reached the final after beating Jalandhar Warriors by 17 runs in the semifinal, while Amritsar Soormas defeated Mohali Kings to set up the title clash.
Chadha will look to cap his impressive campaign with another strong performance in the final, while continuing his pursuit of the larger goal of earning an opportunity to represent India.