Who is Sumit Kumar? 5 interesting facts about all-rounder who could be picked up at the IPL 2024 Auction
In just a couple of days from now, the much-anticipated Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction for the 2024 season will take place in Dubai.
Amidst the established stars and young prodigies vying for attention in the upcoming IPL 2024 auction, Haryana's Sumit Kumar has emerged as an intriguing prospect.
Not a name readily plastered on headlines, his journey holds the potential for an impactful debut, making him a player worth analyzing from a professional lens. The Haryana all-rounder, who embodies the spirit of grit and determination, has consistently impressed on the domestic circuit despite remaining uncapped.
With his base price set at ₹20 lakh, Sumit's name will be called out in the second set of "uncapped all-rounders".
With several IPL franchises looking to snap up emerging all-rounders, let's take a look at five interesting facts about Sumit Kumar, who could be picked up at the upcoming 2024 mini-auction.
#5 A match-winner with both bat and ball
Aside from Sumit's numbers, which have seen him score over 1,500 runs and take 89 wickets for Haryana, his ability to rise to the occasion is what truly sets him apart.
A lower-order all-rounder, the 28-year-old has all the skillset to be a clutch performer for his team. IPL franchises eye certain players who excel in all the three departments and Sumit is one such individual.
He can tonk the ball long and hard and can also glue the innings in case of a batting collapse. His primary skill, however, is his right-arm pace bowling. Sumit is an excellent new-ball bowler, who can generate both inswing and outswing.
#4 Joint-second-highest wicket-taker at Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023
Despite making his List-A debut in October 2019, Sumit has gone on to become one of the most crucial members of his state team. For Haryana, he is the frontline pacer and enjoyed a phenomenal Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2023 campaign. The recently concluded tournament saw Sumit's Haryana beat Rajasthan to win their maiden VHT title.
Sumit contributed massively to the side as he took 18 wickets at an incredible average of 16.78 across 10 games. He was the joint-second-highest wicket-taker as no other bowler took more than 19 wickets in the tournament.
#3 Player of the Match in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023 final vs Rajasthan
Haryana had a dream Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023 stint, where they went unbeaten for 10 consecutive games and upstaged Rajasthan to win the tournament.
It was a collective display of performance all through the tournament for Haryana. The same was the case in the summit clash as well, where all the players put in their best efforts, including Sumit Kumar.
Sumit first played a crucial cameo of 28* off 16 balls before wreaking havoc with his three-wicket haul. His 3/34 crumbled Rajasthan to 12/3 en route to their chase of 288.
Sumit was adjudged the Player of the Match for his heroics.
#2 Sumit is Haryana's highest T20 wicket-taker since his debut
Ever since Sumit has made his T20 debut in February 2019, no other Haryana bowler has taken more wickets than him in the format.
Representing Haryana in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) for five consecutive seasons, Sumit has taken a total of 43 wickets at an average of 17.37 and at a brilliant economy rate of 7.37 across 38 innings.
Players including Rahul Tewatia, Amit Mishra and Harshal Patel have continued to play for Haryana but Sumit has been putting up consistent performances regularly.
#1 Player of the Tournament at Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023
In what was perhaps his biggest achievement in competitive cricket so far, Sumit Kumar was recently declared the Player of the Tournament for the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023 season.
He proved to be Haryana's MVP as he starred with both the bat and the ball. Quite impressively, Sumit donned the finishing role for his side and amassed 183 runs at an immaculate strike rate of 155.08. He was out only once in the seven innings he played and ended up with a batting average of 183.00, the highest in the tournament.
As mentioned earlier, he was equally magnificent with the ball as well. The Gurgaon-born all-rounder took 18 wickets at a great economy rate of 4.15.