Reetinder Sodhi started his cricketing career at a very young age. He successfully led the Indian Under-15 team at the World Cup in 1996, in which he played a match-winning performance in the finals by taking 3 for 34 and scoring and unbeaten 82 against Pakistan at Lord's. 

Sodhi then made his first-class debut four months later for Punjab against Delhi in the Ranji Trophy at the age of 16 years. His maiden first class century was an unbeaten 200 the following year against Delhi. Sodhi was waiting to get his international break as he was part of another World Cup winning team in 2000. Where he was the vice captain of the Under-19 team in Sri Lanka, once again he played a crucial knock in the final. He then made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe at Cuttack in the same year. He looked like a promising all-rounder and in his two years he played 18 ODI games and scored 280 runs and picked up a few wickets. In the Indian Premier League, he played for Kings XI Punjab.