IPL 2026 - SRH's Shivang Kumar sets out to resume his father's incomplete journey

The SRH wristspinner has made his way to IPL, having climbed up after notable performances in Madhya Pradesh League and domestic cricket

Navneet Jha

Published: Apr 3, 2026, 1:01 PM (2 hrs ago)

A job in the railways, struggle, and then success as a cricketer - this doesn't sound like a new story in the landscape of Indian cricket. But for left-arm wristspin-bowling allrounder Shivang Kumar, who is with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2026, these three aspects of life span across two generations.

Hailing from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, Shivang plays for Madhya Pradesh in domestic cricket, and is now trying to fulfil not only his own dream but also that of his father Praveen Kumar, who is a senior ticket collector in Indian Railways, and once aspired to become a cricketer himself.

"My father played Under-19 cricket for Bengal. But due to family circumstances, he had to give up cricket," Shivang told ESPNcricinfo. "Now, I am trying to fulfill both his dream and mine. We share the same dream - that I play for the Indian team - and the IPL is a big platform to reach that goal."

Shivang made his way to the IPL through impressive performances in the Madhya Pradesh League (MPL) and in domestic cricket. In just his second match of MPL 2025, he scored 91 runs off 42 balls while opening the innings for Bhopal Leopards. That included smashing nine fours and six sixes. Overall, Shivang scored 120 runs in six innings in MPL 2025 at a strike rate of 196.72, and also took five wickets in four innings at an economy of 7.21.

Then came impactful performances with both bat and ball in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26. Shivang took 10 wickets in just three matches in the competition, including a five-for against Karnataka. He also scored a half-century against Jharkhand. Just before that, he had made his debut in domestic cricket in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy earlier in the season where he took four wickets in four matches and scored 59 runs at a strike rate of 143.90.

"Before that [the game against Karnataka], I had taken wickets against Kerala (two) and Jharkhand (three), but I wasn't bowling in rhythm, and had conceded a lot of runs," Shivang said. "So when I got a chance against Karnataka, it was quite surprising for me. Our coach Chandrakant Pandit felt I should be given an opportunity on that pitch. He told me, 'Make the most of this chance because not everyone gets one'. His words really motivated me."

Speaking about his half-century against Jharkhand, Shivang said, "It was challenging, but it was also an opportunity for me to prove that I can bat in the lower order. That innings gave me a lot of confidence."

Before the IPL 2026 auction, Shivang had trialled for Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals but couldn't attend SRH trials on both occasions that he was called. However, in the auction, SRH eventually bought him for INR 30 lakh.

"The first time there was a typhoon, and the second time there was a strike from IndiGo [airlines] - so I couldn't attend SRH trials," he said. "But since I had given trials for other teams and performed well in the MPL, I was confident that some team would pick me in the IPL auction."

Shivang is now excited about the opportunity to learn at SRH from two of the world's top spinners in head coach Daniel Vettori and spin-bowling coach Muttiah Muralitharan.

"A brother of mine advised me to watch the biopic on MS Dhoni. It was after watching it that I decided to give cricket another go. After about a year or so, I picked up the bat again, and scored 98 runs in a local tournament against a team from Delhi. That day, I realised I could leave cricket, but cricket would never leave me"

At the state level, Shivang mostly batted as an opener. But after playing a couple of good innings in the lower middle order in domestic cricket, he now feels confident about batting there. Considering SRH's strong top order, this flexibility could help him secure a place in their middle order.

There was also a time in Shivang's early days as a cricketer when he lost interest in the game. The fear of not achieving his goal shattered his dreams, and he quit cricket at the age of 13.

"Before coming to Madhya Pradesh, I used to play in my hometown Moradabad. But not being selected anywhere made me lose my passion for cricket," Shivang said. "Then a brother of mine advised me to watch the biopic on MS Dhoni. It was after watching it that I decided to give cricket another go. After about a year or so, I picked up the bat again, and scored 98 runs in a local tournament against a team from Delhi. That day, I realised I could leave cricket, but cricket would never leave me."

Shivang then suggested that his father Praveen watch the same movie. "When I went to watch the film, I became emotional and remembered my struggling days. When I used to play cricket, I didn't have enough resources, but I decided I would provide my son with all the facilities," Praveen said. "When he performed well in a local tournament, I took him the next day to Tansen Cricket Academy in Gwalior, and that's where a new journey began. From Gwalior, a coach took him to Bhopal for a match, where both Priyansh Arya and Shivang performed well."

Praveen had recognised his son's talent at a very young age and would take time out from his job to train the five-year-old on the field.

"After initially playing from the Gwalior division, I moved to Rewa, where I learned the skills required in professional cricket," Shivang said. "Earlier, I used to bowl left-arm fingerspin. But I felt I needed to stand out from the crowd, so I started bowling left-arm wristspin. Being an opening batter and a left-arm wristspinner helped me a lot. I had decided that if I had to achieve something, I had to do it quickly."

But has Shivang and his father's dream been fulfilled?

"This is just the beginning; the real goal is to wear the India blazer," Praveen said. "Just a few months ago, when Shivang went to Kolkata to play in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, it felt like he resumed my incomplete journey. I am confident he will learn a lot in the IPL, and carry my dream forward. He will not only play for India but also win matches for the country."

This story was first published on ESPNcricinfo Hindi.

Navneet Jha is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo Hindi. @iamnot_nav

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