EXCLUSIVE | Shivang Kumar on SRH backing, Pat Cummins’ trust and his India dream

Shivang Kumar wasn’t supposed to be one of the talking points of this IPL season. He came in quietly, a spinner from Madhya Pradesh with no real fanfare around his name. No big auction buzz, no expectations. Just a kid who had worked hard in domestic cricket and earned himself a shot. Thirteen matches and nine wickets later, people are asking questions about him that nobody was asking in March.

The batting has largely remained hidden so far, a consequence of SRH’s explosive line-up where opportunities down the order were limited. But those who have followed Shivang closely knew there was more to his game than wrist spin. He has started showing that side in the Madhya Pradesh League, turning heads with a stunning half-century off just 13 balls.

It was a reminder that he is not merely a bowler who can hold a bat. He is a genuine all-round cricketer with the confidence to take the game on. The intent, the fearlessness and the range of strokes felt very much in line with the aggressive brand of cricket SRH have championed in recent years. If the IPL introduced Shivang the bowler, the MPL is beginning to reveal Shivang the complete package.

CHOOSING TO BE DIFFERENT

Shivang saw the problem before most coaches would have told him to fix it. Left-handers were taking left-arm orthodox spinners apart in T20 cricket. The angles weren’t working anymore. Batters had worked it out, and the wickets had dried up. Rather than wait for someone to point this out, Shivang made a call. He was going to learn Chinaman bowling and become something the game didn’t have enough of.

“Cricket was constantly evolving, and around three or four years ago, left-handers were dominating. Left-arm spinners weren’t having much success against them. I felt that if I continued with the same skill set, I wouldn’t be able to progress. So I thought of doing something different,” Shivang, currently representing Bundelkhand Bulls in MPL, told IndiaToday.in.

It didn’t happen cleanly. He started messing around with the carrom ball first, just getting his wrist used to doing something new. The Chinaman came out of that slowly, one session at a time. And while he was figuring it out, everyone around him had an opinion. His batting was already solid. Why was he wasting time on a bowling experiment?

“There were many challenges. Whenever you start something new, people question you. Many told me to focus only on batting.”

His younger brother Devang was the one person who didn’t waver. Devang understood the market. He knew that if Shivang wanted to play at the highest level, he couldn’t afford to be just another option. He had to be the only option.

“A huge credit goes to my younger brother, Devang. He is very visionary when it comes to cricket. He kept telling me that if I wanted to play at a higher level, I needed to do something different from everyone else.”

The calculation was straightforward. Good batting plus Chinaman bowling equals a profile that barely exists in world cricket. That was worth chasing. “My brother, my father, and I believed that what I was doing could become something unique. That vision kept me going.”

HIS FATHER’S UNFINISHED DREAM

Every cricketer has a story behind the story. For Shivang, it starts with his father. Praveen Kumar is a senior ticket collector with Indian Railways. He had his own cricket ambitions that never went where he hoped. Life moved on, responsibilities came, and the dream stayed where it was. But what he carried from that experience wasn’t bitterness. It was understanding.

When Shivang was struggling, when the form dipped, and the doubt crept in, his father knew exactly what that felt like. He didn’t panic. He didn’t pile on. He just kept showing up. “First of all, he never allowed me to struggle financially. He made many sacrifices. Even when our family wasn’t always in a stable position, he made sure I had what I needed.”

The money mattered, but it wasn’t the point. What Shivang needed more than anything was someone who got it, who understood that a bad run of form wasn’t the end, who had enough perspective to keep things steady when nothing was going right. “What I’m most grateful for is that he understands the mindset of an athlete. Performance may go up and down, but he never allowed me to lose hope.”

“He is a great motivator. There were times when things were not working out for me, but he always told me, ‘Keep going, Shivang. God will reward your hard work. Just stay dedicated and keep working.'”

SURPRISING CALL FROM SRH

Here is where the story gets interesting. Shivang didn’t know SRH were watching him. He had missed two of their trials due to scheduling clashes with the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. There was no tip-off, no quiet word from an agent, nothing to suggest that one of the IPL’s most exciting franchises had him on their list. And then they picked him.

“Honestly, my selection was quite surprising because I didn’t know SRH were interested in me. I had even missed two of their trials.”

His first reaction wasn’t excitement. It was confusion. Then it became very real very quickly. And then he thought about what it meant to be a bowler at SRH, a team whose batting line-up opposing bowlers genuinely dread, and he allowed himself a smile.

“So when they picked me, I was extremely happy. Looking at their batting line-up, as a bowler I would rather be in their team than bowl against them.” What SRH gave him wasn’t just an opportunity. It was full backing. They didn’t pick him and hedge their bets. They trusted his skill, put him in the eleven, and backed him through the difficult overs.

“It was surprising but also very satisfying because they completely backed my abilities. The mindset they shared with me is something I hope will help me perform well in upcoming tournaments too.”

LESSONS FROM CAPTAIN CUMMINS

There are things you can only learn by being in the room. Pat Cummins doesn’t give motivational speeches. He doesn’t need to. He just operates at a level that makes everyone around him recalibrate what’s possible. No excuses, no deflection, full accountability every single time. For a young Indian spinner watching that up close across an entire IPL season, the impact goes well beyond any coaching session.

“From Pat Cummins, I learned the Australian mindset. They never look for excuses and always try to dominate. Even when they lose, they take responsibility. I really admired that aggressive mentality.”

Ishan Kishan gave him something different behind the stumps. Trust. A keeper who backs his bowler completely changes how that bowler operates. There’s no hesitation, no second-guessing, just execution. Kishan gave Shivang that platform from the very beginning.

“Ishan bhai gives me complete freedom to execute my plans. Whether it’s a googly, leg-spin, or a flipper, he trusts me. That confidence helps me trust myself even more.”

Working with Muralitharan during timeouts wasn’t a bowling masterclass. It was better than that. It was perspective from someone who had been everywhere and seen everything, the kind of insight that can’t be manufactured in a coaching manual. And bowling at Klaasen in the nets every day sharpened Shivang in ways that match conditions alone never could. Klaasen is arguably the best spin hitter in the world right now. Finding ways to trouble him in the nets means you arrive in a game with answers already worked out.

VARUN AARON’S VOTE OF CONFIDENCE

Good franchises don’t just have good players. They have good environments. SRH built one for their young bowlers this season, and Varun Aaron was central to that. In a tournament where one bad over can break a young bowler’s confidence mid-game, Aaron made sure that never happened. The message was consistent from day one. You’re here because you deserve to be here. Back yourself.

“A lot of credit goes to Varun Aaron bhai. The way he handled and supported the young bowlers was exceptional. He constantly reminded us that the franchise picked us because they believed in our abilities.”

Getting hit in the IPL is inevitable. What matters is how you respond. Aaron made sure the response was always the same: keep attacking, keep looking for wickets, move on. “He created a very positive environment. Even when I conceded runs, he would back me and remind me: this is the IPL, the best batters in the world are playing here. There was no reason to be discouraged.”

Shivang also credits Prateek, the team’s video analyst, for the groundwork that sent the younger bowlers into matches feeling prepared rather than exposed.

INNOVATING AS A BOWLER

The IPL doesn’t forgive defensive bowling anymore. Scores of 220 and 250 are routine. Batters come after you from the first ball and a bowler who sets up to survive rather than attack is already losing the battle before he runs in.

Cummins hammered one point home to the SRH bowlers all season. Wickets fix everything. Get hit for a six chasing a wicket and you’re still in control of the conversation. Bowl defensively, go for runs, and you’ve lost the plot entirely.

“As a bowler, you cannot afford to be defensive. Pat Cummins would say that the only way to survive is by taking wickets. You might get hit for a couple of sixes, but if you take wickets, you remain in control.”

For Shivang this was preaching to the converted. Chinaman bowling isn’t a defensive art. Leg-spin, googly, flipper, every variation he’s spent years developing is designed to take wickets, not just get through overs. Cummins’ philosophy and Shivang’s game were already pointed in the same direction.

THE INDIA DREAM CAN WAIT

Let’s be honest about what Shivang Kumar is. He’s a left-arm wrist-spinner who can bat. That combination barely exists anywhere in world cricket, and India have a white-ball setup that would love to have it. The selectors will come calling eventually. It’s a matter of when, not if.

Shivang knows this. He’s also smart enough not to let that knowledge become a distraction. “Of course, representing India is every cricketer’s dream, and I would love to make my debut one day. But I’m not thinking too much about it right now. Whatever happens will happen at the right time.”

The groundwork is already there. Years of grafting in domestic cricket, while people told him to change course. A father who kept the lights on and the faith alive. A brother who sold him a vision when nobody else was buying. That doesn’t produce a player who gets rattled by expectations.

“Whenever the opportunity comes, I want to be ready and deliver. There’s no point worrying about how soon it happens.”

The IPL gave him a stage. SRH gave him belief. His family gave him everything that came before. When India do come calling, Shivang Kumar will be ready.

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