IPL 2020: Youngsters Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi express gratitude to KKR management for their continued support
Young fast bowlers Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi heaped praise on the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) management for having kept faith in them. Both of them missed the entirety of IPL 2019 due to injuries, but weren't released by the 2-time IPL champions.
Both Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti repaid the team's faith last night. They returned figures of two for 20 and two for 13 respectively, as KKR beat the Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 37 runs in Match 12 of IPL 2020 at the Dubai International Stadium.
In a conversation between the two young guns and their skipper Dinesh Karthik, 20-year-old Nagarkoti sounded ecstatic at having claimed his maiden IPL wickets, and thanked the KKR management for always having his back. He made his IPL debut against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Saturday.
“I am feeling very happy. Today I got my debut wickets in the match against Royals. I hope that we continue our winning run...For a player, it is important that he gets opportunities. The management has backed us for two years. I did not play but still the management backed me. Whenever I needed something, the management provided it to me,” said Nagarkoti.
After getting picked by KKR following the 2018 Under-19 World Cup, Kamlesh Nagarkoti was nursing a stress fracture in his back and had to spend almost the entirety of 2018 and 2019 on the sidelines.
We were injured but the management showed faith in us, says Shivam Mavi
Shivam Mavi, who was the Man of the Match last night against RR, played nine games in IPL 2018 before being ruled out the following year with a back injury. The 21-year-old fast bowler stated that he will forever remain grateful to the KKR management and CEO for having backed him during tough times.
“It feels really nice to spend time with the likes of Russell and Cummins. We have mixed up [gelled] with them; they are always around with us. It feels really good when Venky Mysore sir and Shah Rukh Khan sir come to watch us play. We were injured [in the past] but the management showed faith in us and we are grateful for that,” said Mavi.
Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti picked up nine wickets each in six games at the 2018 Under-19 World Cup as India lifted the coveted trophy for a record fourth time.
The Knight Riders will lock horns with table-toppers Delhi Capitals (DC) in Sharjah on Saturday.
Check out IPL 2020 schedule