The pacer had proven himself while being a net bowler for KKR in IPL 2024
Abhinandan Singh is the type of cricketer who is always on the move. Most cricketers live out of a suitcase, but Abhinandan is the type who moves across states, looking for a chance to bowl no matter what level of tournament it is. One day he is playing in Jammu and Kashmir in Rajouri and then he is off to Punjab for another local tournament which does not even have proper scorers. The 27-year-old is out there on the field for the thrill of it.
After years of plying his trade in countless smaller leagues, Abhinandan got the chance to make it big in one of the oldest and star studded T20 tournaments in the country – DY Patil T20 Cup. He got the chance to showcase his skills in just two matches with DY Patil Red and made sure he made an impression with all those watching.
Captained by Baroda captain Krunal Pandya and sharing the new ball with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan had a sensational opening spell in the 2024 edition’s final against Income Tax getting the wickets of Chirag Gandhi and Shahbaz Ahmed off consecutive deliveries and then got the wicket of Vishant More in his next over. The bowling line-up also had Varun Chakravarthy and Nitish Rana along with Bhuvneshwar and Krunal.
The big performance in March, 2024 took Abhinandan to the Eden Gardens with Kolkata Knight Riders who got him as a net bowler for the season. Bowling to the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and his DY Patil Red teammate Nitish Rana which certainly impressed many.
Abhinandan has the pace, which has been a requisite skill for upcoming bowlers. He also has the ability to bowl a mean bouncer and can pull back his length according to the batter’s movements. He also has the ability to swing the ball away from right-handers and attacks the stumps while bowling to left-handers making him an excellent powerplay bowler.
Also Read:
Soon after his stint with KKR ended with him holding the IPL 2024 trophy, Abhinandan was back to the grind in the 2024 Uttar Pradesh T20 League with Lucknow Falcons.
The 27-year-old finished joint-fifth among wicket takers in the competition as he claimed 15 wickets from 10 matches at an excellent average of 17 and an economy of 7.52. The right armer’s contributions were key for the Falcons to reach the playoffs.
These clearly caught the eye of IPL franchises who already had an idea of Abhinandan’s abilities. Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who had snapped up his DY Patil Red teammates Krunal Pandya and Bhuvneshwar in the November auctions, got hold of Abhinandan for the base price of INR 30 lakh.
The chances of Abhinandan getting his first IPL game look good despite their squad having multiple superstars. Head coach Andy Flower and new captain Rajat Patidar have a proven pace attack in Yash Dayal, Bhuvneshwar and Rasikh Dhar and Josh Hazlewood if he can be available for IPL 2025.
Even if one of them are either not fit or out of form during the course of the season, Abhinandan should get a match. There is enough potential in him that warrants a chance to play.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.
