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Parashar made his IPL debut on April 5, featuring in a big-ticket match between MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings and the Axar Patel-led Delhi Capitals.
Prashar Joshi featured in Season 4 of Indian Idol in 2008. (Photo Credit: Instagram)
When Parashar Joshi featured in the last season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) as an umpire, many found him resembling cricketer Shreyas Iyer. Interestingly, multi-talented Parashar has been passionate about the game since his childhood. He had played club-level cricket before making a shocking switch to music. Parashar featured in the audition for Indian Idol in its first season but failed to make it to the final round. He kept trying and had a breakthrough in 2008. He was selected for the piano round in Season 4 of the reality show.
As he struggled to achieve the top level through music, Parashar shifted his focus to umpiring. He joined the official panel of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2015. He was initially assigned to domestic tournaments like the Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy. Ahead of the start of the 2024 WPL, the 30-year-old was called up to officiate in the franchise competition.
Considering his passion and dedication, the Indian cricket board introduced Parashar in the IPL. He was one of the seven umpires who were handed a contract ahead of the 2025 season. Parashar made his IPL debut on April 5, featuring in a big-ticket match between MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings and the Axar Patel-led Delhi Capitals.
Since then, the singer-turned-umpire has been in charge of several matches at the T20 event. He has had the privilege to work with many Indian and International stars, including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Mitchell Marsh, Andre Russell, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Suryakumar Yadav.
Even after starting his career as an umpire, Parashar remained interested in music. He dropped a video featuring his Indian Idol memories on Instagram in October 2023. In the post, a young Parashar could be seen speaking about how he turned to music, keeping aside his professional cricket training.
“18th Oct 2008. 15 years!! How time flies!! If only the 23-year-old me knew then what an adventure the next 15 years were gonna be,” Parashar wrote in the caption.
Parashar has not entirely turned his back on music. He continues to perform and even creates rendition of old songs. He has thousands of streams on Spotify. As per his Insta bio, Parashar is also a passionate biker and often shares videos of his adventures.
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