"Being a Bangalore boy, it would be nice to play for RCB" - Abhinav Manohar expresses his IPL aspirations
Karnataka batter Abhinav Manohar recently said he wishes to play for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL for the opportunity to play on his home turf. The 30-year-old has been with the Gujarat Titans (GT) since the 2022 IPL season.
Manohar has played a few quickfire cameos as a finisher, helping the franchise win the title in 2022 and finish runners-up in 2023. However, his opportunities dwindled in the 2024 IPL, with the right-hander getting only two games.
With the retention deadline and the Mega Auction fast approaching, Manohar's future with GT is uncertain.
In an interview with Wisden, he expressed his wish to play for RCB should the opportunity arise.
"Being a Bangalore boy, it would be nice to play for RCB. Over the past few years, we (GT) have played in Bangalore, but I haven't got a chance to play, and I really wish that I had played, because I think I know this wicket pretty well, and it is a batting track, and it would be any batsman's dream to play in Bangalore in the IPL because six-hitting is very easy, the ground is pretty small," Manohar said.
He added:
"I feel it would be great to play for your home side as well. Let's see. I mean, auction dynamics are very funny, and you don't know which team you're going to go to. So I’m just hoping I get to go to a team which I get to play for, that’s all."
Abhinav Manohar enjoyed an incredible 2024 Maharaja T20 Trophy campaign, scoring 507 runs at an average of 84.50 and a strike rate of 196.51 in 10 matches. All the matches were played in Bengaluru.
"I know that I'm just one or two good IPL seasons away from breaking into at least the India ‘A’ or Indian side" - Abhinav Manohar
Abhinav Manohar is confident that strong performances in the next few IPL seasons will help him break into the India A or even the senior side.
The 30-year-old has scored 231 runs in 19 IPL games at an average of 16.50 and a strike rate of 132.76, while predominantly batting in the lower middle order.
"I know that I'm just one or two good IPL seasons away from breaking into at least the India ‘A’, or Indian side. So my goal is to just work hard and take it one game at a time. If I think too much into the future, I tend to overthink and try and become too eager and desperate," Manohar said in the same interview.
He added:
"But yes, the dream would be, obviously, to play for India. I mean, growing up as a kid, you want to wear that blue jersey. So I'm hoping for a good IPL season this year and next year, and I'm just hoping to break into the side."
While his IPL numbers may be moderate, Abhinav Manohar boasts excellent overall T20 numbers with an average of almost 30 and a strike rate of 149.40 in 36 outings.