Ab Sarthak ke naam se banegi humari pehchaan,” wrote Sarthak Ranjan’s father, one of the most popular and infamous political figures in Bihar, on X, the social media platform. This translates to, “now they will know us by Sarthak’s name.” Coming from a man who had occupied the largest room for three decades, it was a big deal.
Sarthak Ranjan’s father is the MP for Purnia in Bihar, Rajesh Ranjan, a veteran politician, more commonly called Pappu Yadav.
His mother Ranjeet Ranjan is a Rajya Sabha MP from Chhattisgarh. Sarthak, who was born on September 25, 1996, lived in between all that chaos and elected cricket as his sport of choice. Here is the story of both father and son.
Sarthak Ranjan Father Name: The Direct Answer
| QUESTION | ANSWER |
| What is Sarthak Ranjan’s father’s name? | Rajesh Ranjan, widely known as Pappu Yadav. |
| Who is Pappu Yadav? | A veteran Bihar politician currently serving as a Member of Parliament (MP) from the Purnia constituency in the Lok Sabha. |
| What is his mother’s name? | Ranjeet Ranjan, currently a Rajya Sabha MP from Chhattisgarh, affiliated with the Indian National Congress. |
| What party does Pappu Yadav belong to? | Indian National Congress, since 2024, when he merged his Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) with Congress after winning the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Purnia as an independent. |
| Did Pappu Yadav’s family celebrate Sarthak’s IPL selection? | Yes. Pappu Yadav posted publicly on X: “Ab Sarthak ke naam se banegi humari pehchaan” (Now people will know us by Sarthak’s name). |
| Does Sarthak have any siblings? | Yes. His sister, Prakriti Ranjan, is a national-level sportswoman. |
Who Is Pappu Yadav: Sarthak Ranjan’s Father
Rajesh Ranjan was born on 24 December 1967 in the village of Khurda Karveli in Madhepura district of Bihar, to a landed family of Yadav landlords in an area of Bihar where floods, caste rivalries and political ambitions mixed in fairly equal proportions. His grandfather’s childish nicknamae-Pappu-endured throughout a career that saw him win the Lok Sabha seat no fewer than six times. Pappu first entered politics by winning the Bihar Legislative Assembly seat from the Singheshwarsthan constituency in Madhepura as an independent in 1990.
This led to a winning candidacy in the 1991 Lok Sabha election from Purnia on the RJD ticket under Lalu Prasad Yadav (then the undisputed boss of Bihar politics), followed by more victories from Purnia in 1996 and 1999.
His electoral history also includes terms from Madhepura and Saharsa, and then, almost a quarter-century after his first win from Purnia, another triumph from the same constituency in 2014 and yet another in 2024, making him one of Bihar’s most successful political figures in the state’s Seemanchal region over the past three decades. Pappu Yadav, or “Netajee,” as he is popularly known in Bihar’s Koshi region, is the husband of another well-known politician, Ranjeet Ranjan, who served as a Lok Sabha MP for Supaul and is now a Rajya Sabha MP from Chhattisgarh on a Congress ticket; the informal nickname for her is “Bullet Rani,” a reference to her well-publicised practice of commuting through her constituency on a motorcycle. In 2015, after separating from the RJD, he formed the Jan Adhikar Party (Loktantrik), which he led for about a decade until merging it with the Indian National Congress in 2024, immediately after his re-election victory from Purnia. Pappu Yadav was named as one of the best-performing MPs from Bihar for parliamentary attendance and participation in debates in 2015-a remarkable achievement for someone with Pappu Yadav’s public persona.
The Shadow Sarthak Grew Up In: Politics, Pressure and Cricket
As a cricketer in Delhi, growing up in Pappu Yadav and Ranjeet Ranjan’s Delhi family – both MPs and carrying that weight of recognition and of a surname where the question of clout isn’t far behind a name in an Indian domestic team sheet – was never going to be a neutral act. Sarthak himself has been candid in explaining that he was quite often on the receiving end of the comments regarding his connections with his political parents, and he had had to distance himself from the underlying implication that he was privileged due to their position. “I wished to come out from my parents’ fame and establish myself”, he said.
So much that he was tempted to give up on the sport when the domestic career progression was slow and pressure was getting the better of him.
But he didn’t. He stayed in Delhi, he practiced and found his way through the Delhi Premier League instead of a traditional Ranji Trophy journey. And that has since then been the story of his life.
Sarthak Ranjan: Full Profile
| DETAIL | INFORMATION |
|---|---|
| Full name | Sarthak Ranjan |
| Date of birth | 25 September 1996 |
| Age (2026) | 29 |
| Birthplace | Delhi, India (family roots in Bihar) |
| Batting style | Right-handed batsman |
| Bowling style | Leg-break (right-arm) |
| School | GD Goenka School, Vasant Kunj, Delhi |
| College | Kirori Mal College, Delhi University |
| Domestic team | Delhi (2016 to present) |
| IPL team | Kolkata Knight Riders (IPL 2026) |
| IPL auction price | Rs 30 lakh (IPL 2026 mini-auction, Abu Dhabi, December 16, 2025) |
| T20 debut | 2 January 2016, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy vs Baroda (Gautam Gambhir captain) |
| List A debut | February 2017 vs Himachal Pradesh (Rishabh Pant captain, Gambhir in squad) |
| Ranji Trophy debut | 2017 |
| Delhi Premier League | North Delhi Strikers. Season 1: 252 runs in 10 innings. Season 2: 449 runs in 9 games at strike rate 146.73. |
| Coach | Trained under Abhishek Nayar on technique, particularly against short-ball bowling |
| Net worth (2026) | Estimated Rs 30 to 50 lakh |
The Cricket Career: From Delhi Age Groups to KKR
The Early Years: Under-16, Under-19 and Senior Delhi
Cricket for Sarthak Ranjan came in the early days from GD Goenka School in Vasant Kunj, Delhi, from where he juggled with school studies along with frequent training and the sport. Soon, he started representing the Delhi teams at the U-16 and U-19 level and had developed the technical abilities that served him well in the senior circuit. Following school, he joined Kirori Mal College of Delhi University, a reputed college of the capital that also churned out several players for domestic cricket.
He had made his senior T20 debut on 2nd January 2016 against Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
That Delhi team was captained by Gautam Gambhir and since his List A debut came a year later under the leadership of Rishabh Pant ( with Gambhir in the team as well ), Sarthak’s early days perfectly encapsulate the bridging phase of the Delhi domestic cricket between two modern eras.
The Delhi Premier League Breakthrough: 449 Runs in 9 Games
Sarthak’s path to wider recognition rather than taking place in Ranji Trophy was in Delhi Premier League and playing for North Delhi Strikers for his first DPL he had scored 252 runs from 10 matches of season that year is not so significant but was decent enough to show promise. His second season with DPL was phenomenal as he amassed 449 from 9 matches and from just 9 innings with a scintillating strike rate of 146.73, and then his power-hitting potential was brought to notice for franchises teams around the nation. Sarthak had also had the ability to score effectively against short balls with special training from former Indian cricketer Abhishek Nayar. The confluence of his performance with the DPL and the development technique assisted him making his career the rise.
IPL 2026: Kolkata Knight Riders
On 16 December 2025 at the IPL 2026 mini-auction in Abu Dhabi, the Kolkata Knight Riders bought Sarthak Ranjan for R30 lakh. KKR went into the auction with the biggest available purse – R64.30 crore – and would go on to acquire as many as 13 players, starting and finishing with the R25.20 crore Australian all-rounder, Cameron Green. R30 lakh was one of the smaller amounts paid to individual players on the day but an enormous part of the story was, by whom he is fathered and, in the political milieu of the region where Sarthak hails, what his entry to the IPL signified.
The public reaction on X to the acquisition was immediate. “Ab Sarthak ke naam se banegi humari pehchaan” was the message that Pappu Yadav put up, and attracted almost as much media commentary because of its reversal of what is normally the dynamic within political dynasties. Here was a man who had spent over thirty years as one of the most identifiable politicians in Bihar, stating publicly that his place in public perception would be defined by his son’s ability to hit a ball.
The Broader Family: An Unusual Political and Sporting Household
The Ranjans of 2026 are what you call one of those special Indian households in which both parents happen to be sitting Members of Parliament and one son, Sarthak Ranjan, has a contract with a franchise in the Indian Premier League to play cricket professionally. Sarthak’s sister, Prakriti Ranjan has also attained distinction for India in another sporting discipline at the national level, ensuring that it is perhaps a unique political family to have gifted the nation athletes who are also competitors.
In March 2025, he briefly joined the Congress party with his father and participated in an official induction. Even in interviews then, it was clear this was merely to oblige his politician parent for he had reiterated his disinterest in pursuing politics with the clarity that politics, nor the political debates in the family, never excited him, and all his interest and attention had been, and was, reserved for the cricket pitch. The 2026 KKR contract may well have confirmed he had not been misplaced in that singular ambition.
The Name That Changed Direction
Pappu Yadav is the father, Sarthak Ranjan is the son; but it’s a son’s name more than a father’s that seems to have opened more avenues than the former could have imagined. In 30 years of being Bihar’s most famous Member of Parliament, pappu yadav has launched a party, merged it into Congress and won six Lok Sabha terms. His son then went on to score 449 in nine DPL games, practice hooking short balls against abhishek nayar, and land an IPL contract with Kolkata Knight Riders. The man always found with a quote published his shock that from now on, the world would recognize his family by his son. In a nation where families in public life are inclined in only one direction, the contrast makes for a story worth understanding.
Frequently Asked Questions: Sarthak Ranjan Father Name
What is Sarthak Ranjan’s father’s name?
Sarthak Ranjan’s father name is Rajesh Ranjan, widely known by his political name Pappu Yadav. He is a veteran politician from Bihar and currently serves as the Member of Parliament from the Purnia constituency in the Lok Sabha, affiliated with the Indian National Congress since 2024.
Who is Pappu Yadav?
Pappu Yadav, real name Rajesh Ranjan, was born on 24 December 1967 in Khurda Karveli, Madhepura, Bihar. He is one of the most prominent politicians in Bihar’s Seemanchal region and has won six Lok Sabha elections across multiple constituencies over three decades. He founded the Jan Adhikar Party in 2015 and merged with the Indian National Congress in 2024. He is known as “Netajee” in the Koshi region.
Who is Sarthak Ranjan’s mother?
Sarthak Ranjan’s mother is Ranjeet Ranjan, a politician currently serving as a Rajya Sabha MP from Chhattisgarh on an Indian National Congress ticket. She previously served as a Lok Sabha MP from Supaul in Bihar. She is sometimes referred to informally as “Bullet Rani” for her practice of travelling through her constituency by motorcycle.
How did Sarthak Ranjan get into KKR?
Sarthak Ranjan was acquired by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 30 lakh at the IPL 2026 mini-auction in Abu Dhabi on December 16, 2025. His selection followed two seasons with North Delhi Strikers in the Delhi Premier League, including a breakthrough second season in which he scored 449 runs in nine games at a strike rate of 146.73. He had also worked specifically on his technique against short-ball bowling with coach Abhishek Nayar in the lead-up to the auction.
Did Pappu Yadav react to Sarthak’s IPL selection?
Yes. After Sarthak was picked by KKR, Pappu Yadav posted on X: “Ab Sarthak ke naam se banegi humari pehchaan,” which translates to: now people will know us by Sarthak’s name. He also publicly encouraged his son to play freely, trust his talent, and make a name for himself through cricket.
Has Sarthak Ranjan ever faced criticism because of his family background?
Yes. Sarthak has spoken in interviews about frequently being told that his cricket opportunities were connected to his parents’ political influence rather than to his own ability. He has said that the criticism weighed on him at one point to the extent that he considered quitting cricket, but his commitment to the game and his desire to establish his own identity kept him going. His DPL performances and subsequent KKR selection are both independent of any political connection.
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