5 interesting facts about Swapnil Singh, who picked up two wickets in his first over on RCB debut vs SRH
Swapnil Singh impressed all and sundry with his stellar showing with both bat and ball for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium on Friday.
Singh, who was one of the youngest debutants in first-class cricket, has also been a part of the Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab, and the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL in the past.
On Thursday, he impressed at first with the bat in hand when he struck a 6-ball 12 and then returned to snap up the wickets of Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen in his first over - the fifth of the innings.
Although he conceded 40 runs in his three overs, Swapnil Singh did well for RCB on Thursday and may go on to become a crucial part of their lineup in the upcoming games of the tournament.
In this listicle, we take a look at five interesting facts about him.
#1 Swapnil Singh made his FC debut at the age of 14
One of the most interesting things about Swapnil Singh is that he made his first-class debut for Baroda at the age of fourteen, making him one of the youngest to do so in the world.
Swapnil was seen as a prodigy from a young age, which is why the Baroda senior selectors gave him the opportunity to make his debut against Hyderabad at the Motibag Stadium in the city in January 2006.
He did not get to bowl in the first innings, but did so in the second, where he ended up with figures of 0/35 against the Arjun Yadav-led side. Baroda defeated Hyderabad by 220 runs in that game.
#2 He was the leading run-getter for Baroda in the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy
Despite being classified as a left-arm spinner, Singh is also a more than handy right-handed batter lower down the order, as was seen on Thursday.
His batting has earned him a lot of plaudits, such as being the leading run-getter for Baroda in the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy.
This trait of Swapnil's will keep him in good stead throughout his career as that is what is needed of bowlers these days. Bowlers need to know how to bat well in modern-day cricket, and Swapnil has seemingly worked the problem out.
#3 He played in the 2018-19 Duleep Trophy
Singh was rewarded for his brilliant showing in the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy campaign with a spot in the India Blue squad for the Duleep Trophy next season. Although he did not play in the first game of the competition, he did in the next two.
He did not quite make an impact in the second game, but impressed all in the final with a 69 with the bat in the first innings and then returned to pick up 5--58 against India Red.
Among others, Singh picked up the wickets of top batters such as B Sandeep (Hyderabad), Siddhesh Lad (Goa), Ishan Kishan (Jharkhand) and Writtick Chatterjee (Bengal) in that innings.
#4 He was picked up by Mumbai Indians in the 2008 IPL
What many people do not know is that Swapnil Singh was picked up by Mumbai Indians in the 2008 IPL, which was the tournament's inaugural edition.
Singh was rewarded for his consistent performances for Baroda but failed to get a game for MI that year.
Singh has also been a part of Kings XI Punjab in the past when they picked him up for his base price of INR 10 Lakh in the 2016 edition after he claimed the second-best bowling figures in the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament - 6 for 19 - the year before.
After a brief interlude, in 2023, he became a part of the Lucknow Super Giants. This season, RCB snapped him up.
#5 He now plays for Uttarakhand in domestic cricket
One of the most interesting things about Swapnil Singh is that he now plays for Uttarakhand in domestic cricket and not Baroda.
He switched allegiances in the 2021-22 season for the newly affiliated state but unfortunately, has not been able to make much of an impact.
Much credit must be given to RCB for sticking with him as he performed for them against SRH in the game in Hyderabad on Thursday. Singh may end up becoming a crucial player for RCB, more so given that he did not get much of an opportunity when he was with LSG.