Picture Credit: IPL/BCCI
Indian Premier League (IPL) has certainly helped many emerging stars become popular and give them a sneak peek into how the biggest of cricketing stars go about doing their business. "Where talent meets opportunity" is the mantra of the biggest T20 tournament in the world and it has been able to provide a platform to so many such talents over the years- with several instances of players failing to be a regular in the state teams but making an impact in the IPL.
Among many other such stories, is the story of Karnataka lad Shivil Kaushik. While he caught everyone's eye with his peculiar bowling action, he announced himself on the cricketing scene in the Karnataka Premier League (KPL) representing the Hubli Tigers. And it was his successful outing here that helped him grab a contract with the Gujarat Lions in the 2016 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
In his 10-matches in the IPL so far, Shivil has picked 6 wickets with a best of 3/20. With his last IPL game coming in 2017, the left-arm spinner opened up on his journey in SportsTiger's weekly show IPLL- Interact Personal Laugh and Life.
Entry in IPL with no domestic cricket experience made me relatable: Shivil
The 25-year-old spinner stated that it was his entry in the IPL with no domestic cricket experience which made him relatable and gain popularity.
"There are very few players who make it to the IPL without playing domestic cricket. I had entered IPL on the back of my performances in Karnataka Premier League," he told SportsTiger in an exclusive interview.
The reason I had a lot of popularity at that time is people could relate, there are so many who play cricket in India who are not able to make it to the state teams or Ranji Trophy cricket. When they saw someone like me, they could relate and thought if he could do it, so can we," he added.
Watch the full interview here:
Liked getting rid of Yuvraj Singh in IPL, says the left-arm spinner
Shivil stated that although all his IPL wickets are special to him, it is the wicket of Yuvraj Singh he likes the most. He revealed how he used to bowl to "Yuvraj Bhaiya" at the National Cricket Academy as a youngster and getting him out in an IPL match was an experience to cherish.
Had played against Stuart Binny, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey in KPL: Shivil
Shivil, who became a part of the Mumbai Indians camp after winning a competition involving over 2000 spinners, said that he never felt overawed to bowl to the likes of Rohit Sharma or Kieron Pollard in the nets since he had already played against reputed players like Stuart Binny, KL Rahul and Manish Pandey in the Karnataka Premier League. He further said that his experience at the National Cricket Academy had also kept him mentally ready to play with and against quality players.