Who Is Abhinandan Singh? The RCB Pacer Who Dismissed Virat Kohli Twice Before His IPL Debut

Who is Abhinandan Singh? The name every cricket fan is searching for tonight as the uncapped RCB pacer from Uttar Pradesh is set to make his IPL debut for Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 opener at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, having already announced himself in the most emphatic way possible: by dismissing Virat Kohli in both of RCB’s intra-squad practice matches.

Retained for just ₹30 lakh — the lowest price in RCB’s squad — Abhinandan Singh is the kind of story that makes the IPL special. Four years ago, he was playing tennis-ball cricket. Today, he is in RCB’s playing XI for the biggest match of the season.

For full RCB vs SRH playing XI, impact players and batting order check here.

From Tennis-Ball Cricket to IPL in Four Years

Abhinandan Singh started playing with a leather ball only in 2020. Before that, he bowled fast in tennis-ball matches in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh — where, as he puts it, “if you didn’t bowl fast, you’d get smashed.”

A coach in Delhi, Randhir Singh, spotted his raw pace and told him bluntly: “If you want to play, give the next 2-3 years of your life fully to cricket.” Abhinandan took the advice literally. He transitioned to leather-ball cricket, worked on his swing bowling, and caught the eye of Abhishek Nayar — now KKR’s head coach — who told him he had the talent to play at a high level before anyone outside local cricket had heard his name.

His breakthrough came in the UP T20 League, representing Lucknow Falcons. In the 2024 season, he took 15 wickets in 10 matches, bowling alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar — who would later become his RCB teammate. He followed that with 8 wickets in 8 matches in the 2025 edition, including a four-wicket haul against Gorakhpur Lions that showcased his ability to swing the ball and deceive batters with pace they did not expect.

The IPL Auction Moment — How Abhinandan Singh Became an RCB Player

To understand who is Abhinandan Singh, you need to know how close this story came to never happening. His IPL journey almost ended before it began. During the IPL 2025 mega auction, his name came up in the initial rounds but he was not picked. He watched from his room in Pratapgarh, trying to stay calm.

“I thought I had gone unsold. I tried to stay calm, telling myself, it’s okay… I’ll work harder,” he said in an interview with Khiladi Pro. “But honestly, somewhere in my heart, it did hurt.”

Then came a rapid round where franchises could pick two players. Suddenly, the words he never expected to hear: “Abhinandan Singh… RCB.”

“I was stunned. I just saw my name and RCB together — and that was it. I threw my phone aside, drank a glass of water, and then the calls started coming… 100, 200 calls. I don’t even remember when night turned into morning.”

Within hours, everyone in Pratapgarh knew his name. He was an RCB player.

What Makes Abhinandan Singh’s Bowling Dangerous

For those asking who is Abhinandan Singh and what he brings to the table — the answer is deception, not raw pace. He is not express. He does not clock 145 kmph. But what makes him effective — and what the RCB practice matches confirmed — is that he is consistently quicker than batters think.

His stock delivery is the outswinger from a high release point, but the deception lies in his pace off the pitch. Batters set up for medium pace and find the ball arriving faster than their initial read. It is a subtle advantage, but against top-order players who rely on timing rather than brute force, it works.

In both RCB intra-squad matches, he dismissed Virat Kohli — the same batter who was in full attack mode, smashing sixes off Jacob Duffy and looking in peak touch. Kohli could not pick Abhinandan’s pace both times. In the second practice match, he also accounted for Phil Salt. That is two of the best T20 batters in the world, dismissed by a bowler earning ₹30 lakh.

His time as a KKR net bowler before joining RCB also helped. Bowling to IPL-quality batters in training — even without playing matches — gave him exposure to the pace, footwork, and shot-making that domestic cricket does not always replicate.

How Abhinandan Singh Fits Into RCB Playing XI For IPL 2026

With Josh Hazlewood injured, Yash Dayal ruled out for the season, and Nuwan Thushara denied an SLC NOC, RCB’s pace bowling options have been severely depleted. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jacob Duffy are the senior seamers, but behind them the squad needed someone who could hold a role without wilting under IPL pressure.

Abhinandan Singh fills that gap — not as a star signing, but as an honest, hardworking bowler who has earned his place through performance in practice. RCB’s coaching staff, including trainer Basu Shankar and physio James Pipe, have worked closely with him on a lower-back injury that threatened his progress. His fitness is now managed through DEXA scans and structured load management — a world away from the tennis-ball grounds of Pratapgarh.

Tonight against SRH, Abhinandan Singh RCB will likely bowl in the middle overs and potentially at the death, where his deceptive pace and swing could trouble SRH’s aggressive middle order. If he gets the ball to move under the Chinnaswamy lights, he could be the surprise package of IPL 2026’s opening night.

“Sport has a way of keeping you away from things that can harm your life,” Abhinandan said. “When you truly enjoy playing, you naturally stay focused on your game.”

Four years from tennis ball to IPL. From ₹30 lakh to dismissing Kohli twice. If you were asking who is Abhinandan Singh before tonight, you will know his name by the end of it. His story is only just beginning.

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