Name:

Moondra, Jai

Date of Birth:

10 Jan 1997

Gender:

Men

Place of Birth:

Tonk, Rajasthan

Career:

T20: 2026 - current

Teams:

Ireland (Country)

Tector guides Ireland to historic series win over India: 2nd T20 (Belfast)

Jai Moondra (born 10 January 1997 in Tonk, Rajasthan) is an Indian-born left-arm fast-medium bowler who transitioned from a tech career to international cricket.

Initially a top-order batter and left-arm orthodox spinner in his youth, he switched to seam bowling during his college years. In 2021, he moved to Ireland to pursue a master's degree in engineering at TU Dublin, later working full-time as a product development engineer at Intel. Driven to give his sport a definitive push, he stepped away from his corporate role in mid-2025 to focus entirely on cricket, advancing through Dublin's Leinster club circuit and the interprovincial pipeline.

Operating at speeds up to 139 kmph (86 mph), Moondra provides a disciplined left-arm angle, natural swing with the new ball, and an effective array of variations for limited-overs cricket. His rapid rise peaked with a call-up to the Ireland senior squad for a home series against India in late June 2026. He made an instant impact by clean-bowling Sanju Samson with his very first delivery in international cricket, finishing with 2/25 to help secure Ireland’s historic, maiden victory over India in any format.

Moondra backed up his fairytale debut with a 3/32 performance in the second match, dismissing Samson, Abhishek Sharma, and Shreyas Iyer to secure a 2–0 series sweep and earn Player of the Series honors. He is only the second Irish bowler to take a T20I wicket with his first ball.

Still holding his Indian passport while qualifying under ICC residency rules, Moondra balances his engineering background with a blooming international cricket career, alongside his cousin Ajay Mundra, who represents Sweden.

Source: CricketCrowd Staff Reporter