Kumar Kartikeya was drafted into the Mumbai Indians’ squad mid-way in the Indian Premier League 2022 as an injury replacement. But since then, his career graph has gone upwards.
The 24-year-old left-arm wrist spinner, who was spotted by the Mumbai-based franchise scouts and was added to the team as a support bowler for the IPL 2022, left his home nine years ago and returned to an emotional reunion with the family earlier this month.
Kartikeya’s mother, Sunita Singh, in the ‘Kal Ke Sitaare’ series on MumbaiIndians.com, recalled his son’s arrival, saying: “He was coming home after 9 years. That’s how long I have waited for my son to return, successful and happy. After all the sacrifices over the years, I pray to god to recognize his journey and bless him with success so that I could be reunited with my son. It is his life and his journey, this was a sacrifice that we needed to make.”
In his first IPL game, Kartikeya took a wicket off his second ball, returned with figures of 1/19 and gave just a single boundary, making an instant impact on the match and for Mumbai Indians.
During his journey away from home, Kartikeya overcame heartbreaks on the field and found a mentor in his coach Sanjay Bharadwaj, who put him on a track that echoes a story his father used to repeat when he was a kid.
Kartikeya’s father Shyam Nath Singh remembered the story, saying: “There are two paths. One is right and the other is wrong. The wrong path will be easy and the other one will be filled with difficulties and challenges, but that’s what will make your journey successful.”
After he got selected to play in the Ranji Trophy, Kartikeya called his father, who couldn’t control his emotions and broke down at home, knowing his son was following his dream. In the 2021-2022 Ranji season, Kartikeya finished with 32 wickets, the second highest in the season, and helped Madhya Pradesh win their first trophy in 23 years.
Looking back on the past nine years and the recent three months, playing IPL and Ranji Trophy, Kartikeya was reminded by Mumbai Indians icon Sachin Tendulkar’s words in the nets, “The game comes before everything and cricket must always be respected” and those are the words that will keep him moving forward to his goal.
— ENDS —
Stay connected with us on social media platform for instant update click here to join our Twitter, & Facebook
We are now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TechiUpdate) and stay updated with the latest Technology headlines.
For all the latest For Top Stories News Click Here
