It felt good to know that a few IPL scouts had taken note of me - Karnataka wicketkeeper-batter Luvnith Sisodia
Karnataka wicketkeeper-batter Luvnith Sisodia, who scored 312 runs off just 129 balls in a corporate one-day tournament match last year, is now on the radar of quite a few IPL teams ahead of the mega auction.
Flamboyant, swashbuckling and stout-hearted are the qualities that define Sisodia. The undoing of the gloves, the stance and the repertoire of the shots he possesses begin to evoke memories of a certain Saurav Ganguly.
He has been called for trials by as many as four IPL teams, including the Mumbai Indians (MI), Punjab Kings (PBKS), and Delhi Capitals (DC). He showed his caliber with a swashbuckling 66-run knock off 26 balls in the PBKS trials, which were held at Just Cricket Academy on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
The 21-year-old showcased his batting prowess in the recently concluded BCCI U25 Trophy, where he finished with the third-highest strike rate. He clobbered as many as 12 boundaries and seven sixes. He also recorded the highest strike rate - 231.57 - in the powerplay of the tournament.
With the future looking bright, here's an excerpt of Sportskeeda's exclusive conversation with Luvnith Sisodia:
Q. What's it like to be a part of the trials of an IPL franchise?
Luvnith Sisodia: To be honest, it was a rollercoaster ride after being on the sidelines for the first few games and then significantly contributing in the knockout stages of the BCCI U25 Trophy. It felt good to know that a few IPL scouts had taken note of me during that particular tournament.
Coming to the experience of attending IPL trials, it helped me to get a hang of things, including the mechanism of getting into the IPL arena. Obviously, what happens in the auction is uncontrollable, but I believe I have put my best foot forward in the trials.
Q. How’s your experience training under the tutelage of RX Murali sir?
Luvnith Sisodia: He's magic. It's a blessing to work with such a stalwart who knows so much about the game. As we all know, there is a lot of mental strength involved in this game, and he is the ideal mentor to seek advice from. There has been a significant shift in the way I approach batting or even keep thanks to the magician.
Many of them ask me, "How do you manage to travel to RX Academy every day”, which is 23 kilometers from my house. But the fact that you trained under his supervision is an invaluable experience altogether. I would have travelled to his academy even if it was 50-60 kilometers away just to pick a leaf out of his cricketing brain.
Q. Three learnings from the pandemic that struck the world?
Luvnith Sisodia: The pandemic has taught us a slew of lessons. With all of the upheaval going on due to COVID-19, I learned how to be more patient. Even though the situation was alarming, the fact that we were able to play a little amount of cricket was a blessing.
Q. What's your pinnacle goal in terms of your cricketing career?
Luvnith Sisodia: My ultimate goal, like any other youngster in this cricket-crazy nation, is to don the blue jersey. As a kid, I always dreamt of representing my county and winning matches for the team.
Get to know Luvnith Sisodia better
- Luvnith Sisodia made his T20 debut for Karnataka during the 2019 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign.
- In February 2021, he entered the record books as he became the first player to score a triple hundred in a competitive 50-over fixture. He has repeatedly portrayed his penchant for playing long innings. In the 2018-19 BCCI Cooch Behar Trophy, Luvnith scored a mammoth 234 against Punjab. It was also the highest individual score recorded by a Karnataka batter in that tournament.
- The southpaw played a pivotal role in guiding Hubli Tigers to title in the 2019 Karnataka Premier League.
- He was appointed as the captain of the Karnataka U-23 team for the 2020 Col Ck Nayudu Trophy.
- The wicketkeeper-batter currently plies his trade for Sir Syed Cricketers in the KSCA division cricket.
- He trains under the tutelage of Mayank Agarwal’s coach, RX Murali.
- Luvnith is an avid supporter of Manchester United.