Kumar Kartikeya is an Indian cricketer who is known for replacing Arshad Khan in Mumbai Indians for the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL).
Wiki/Biography
Kumar Kartikeya Singh was born on Friday, 26 December 1997 (age 25 years; as of 2022) in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh. His zodiac sign is Capricorn. His hometown is Kuwasi, Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 6″
Weight (approx.): 60 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Body Measurements (approx.): Chest: 40 Inches, Waist: 32 Inches, Biceps: 12 Inches
Family
Parents & Siblings
Karthikeya’s father’s name is Shyam Nath Singh, who is a police officer.
His mother’s name is Sunita Singh, who is a homemaker.
He has one brother.
Cricket
Kumar Karthikeya started his career by playing division cricket. In 2016, he won the man of the match in a club match between LB Shastri Club and ONGC.
He made his ODI debut in the 2018–19 Vijay Hazare Trophy on 26 September 2018 in which he played for Madhya Pradesh.
In 2018, he played the Ranji trophy for Madhya Pradesh on 28 November 2018 for Madhya Pradesh.
On 2 March 2019, he played a T20 match against Sikkim at Indore in the 2018–19 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. In April 2022, he was bought by the Mumbai Indians as a replacement for Arshad Khan in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL). In an interview, Mumbai Indians talked about Kartikeya and said,
Kartikeya is a slow left-arm bowler and has represented MP across all three formats of the game since making his debut in 2018. Kumar Kartikeya has been impressive in the nets and his learning trajectory on improving and fine-tuning his bowling skills have earned him the call up to the main squad.”
Facts/Trivia
- He is a right-hand batsman with a slow left-arm orthodox, left arm wrist spin. He was coached by Sanjay Bhardwaj.
- His hobbies include swimming.
- Kartikeya decided to become a cricketer when he saw his father’s interest in the game. One day, he witnessed his father’s smile while he was sitting in front of the television and enjoying a cricket match. That day, he decided that he would become a cricketer to see the smile on his father’s face. His father saw Kumar’s debut match with his battalion that had installed a projector in the police station. In an interview, his father said that his staff was very happy and started hugging him when Kumar took the first wicket in the IPL match against Rajasthan Royals.
- Kartikeya left his home at the age of fifteen and came to Delhi to practice in an academy. He used to manage his expenses by working as a labourer in a factory near Ghaziabad that was 80 km away from the academy. After working at night at the factory, he used to save money to buy biscuits by walking back to his home instead of taking a bus or auto.
- After listening to Kumar’s story, his coach, Sanjay Bhardwaj, decided to take care of Kartikeya’s expenses. He even offered him to stay at his home,e where he was given the cook’s room to stay. After Kumar started living with Sanjay, one day he was offered lunch by the cook, and he started crying because he had not eaten lunch for one year. In an interview, Kumar talked about his coach and said,
Sir has taken care of me like I’m his own son. I stayed with him for six years. He took care of every single cricketing expense. I was playing in Delhi at that time. I performed too, but in the trials, I didn’t get selected. Then sir told me, ‘You should go to Madhya Pradesh’. I reached Shahdol and played trial matches and practice matches there, and for the first time, I got selected in the Under-23 side, as a standby.”
- Kumar was not selected for the team when he played in Delhi. After trying hard, he shifted to Gandhi Stadium in Shahdol and got a chance to play in the Ranji trophy for Madhya Pradesh.
- He initially bowled a left-arm orthodox spin, but later, he started bowling wrist spin.
- Kumar received a ball signed by MS Dhoni as a gift after an IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.
- After Mumbai Indians won an IPL match, franchise owner Nita Ambani congratulated Kumar in the dressing room and said,
Bohot Aache khele aap (You played really well.) May you continue to shine like this.”
- In an interview, he said that he wanted to achieve something in life and then visit his home as he had not visited home for nine years. He said,
I haven’t been home for 9 years. I’d decided to return home only when I achieve something in life. My mom and dad called me frequently, but I was committed. Now finally I’ll return home after the IPLB.”