It was a great relief for Tamil Nadu left-arm spinner M. Siddharth as he finally found his way back into the IPL fold after not being part of the competition for the last two years.
The 25-year-old Siddharth has consistently performed in the TNPL and got his first IPL break back in 2020 with Kolkata Knight Riders before joining Delhi Capitals in 2021. However, an injury in 2021 meant he missed the second phase of the IPL held in the UAE. Since then, he got close to the IPL only as a net bowler for Mumbai Indians (2022) and Chennai Super Kings (2023).
On Tuesday, Siddharth was relieved after Lucknow Super Giants paid Rs 2.4 crore to acquire his services.
“I have been waiting for this for the last two years. There were times when I was very disappointed and frustrated. I was a bit nervous today, but I am thrilled,” said Siddharth to Sportstar.
ALSO READ | IPL 2024 Auction: Starc, Cummins breach Rs. 20 crore mark on a historic day in Dubai
“A lot of credit goes to A.C. Prathiban (former Puducherry and TN player) for how he has helped me in the last few years. He has been there every morning for every practice session. Similarly, Shahrukh Khan, Dinesh Karthik, and my nutritionist Sadhvika Srinivas have also played crucial roles,” added Siddharth.
While he is known for being a handy bowler in the shorter formats with his tight lines and pace variations - he has a very lethal arm ball - he added another trick up his sleeve in the TNPL with his impressive spells in the PowerPlay for champions Lyca Kovai Kings.
“I worked on it in the last few years with Prathiban. I knew it could create an impact if I did well in PowerPlay. I did not deviate from my strengths but learned how to play with the field positions and find the right line and lengths to bowl. I am also working on a delivery that comes into the left-hander,” Siddharth explained.
Meanwhile, Siddharth’s Kovai Kings skipper M. Shahrukh Khan found a new home in Gujarat Titans after spending the last three years with Punjab Kings.
READ MORE | IPL 2024: Captaincy change was handled in the best possible way, says Mumbai Indians coach Boucher
“A new team, a new challenge, but I am excited to be part of a winning team. I have heard from players how comfortable the culture is there and how much they back their players. So I am looking forward to doing well for them,” said Shahrukh, who will have the presence of his TN mates in B. Sai Sudarshan, Vijay Shankar and R. Sai Kishore.
The hard-hitting finisher had a decent season in the IPL last year, striking at 165.96, but Punjab decided to release him. Though his former team got into a bidding war, the Titans prevailed at a lower price than he got two years back at Punjab.
When asked about his thoughts before the auction, Shahrukh said, “I did not think a lot. I was expecting a few teams, including Punjab, would be interested in me. I had a good season finishing games for my team last year, and I want to continue the same this year.”
Apart from Shahrukh and Siddharth, leg-spinner Jhathavedh Subramanyan (Sunrisers Hyderabad) was the only other TN player to find a team on Tuesday. Incidentally, all three played for Kovai Kings in the TNPL.
Comments
SHARE