'Hadn't Eaten Lunch For A Year': Kumar Kartikeya's Journey From Factory To Mumbai Indians

Kumar Kartikeya made his IPL debut for Mumbai Indians against Rajasthan Royals.

Each IPL season brings in new success stories of players who were hardly known a few months ago. Kumar Kartikeya Singh's journey has been tough. And every such struggling character needs a person who supports him/her right from the bottom - for Kumar Kartikeya, it was Sanjay Bharadwaj. 

Kumar Kartikeya came from Kanpur to Delhi to find the ladder of success and it was his only friend in the national capital, Radheshyam, who took him to Sanjay Bharadwaj's academy. Kartikeya was in no condition to pay the fee as he promised his family that he doesn't want to be a financial burden on his father, who was a constable. 

Bharadwaj asked him to give a trial and was impressed on the very first ball Kartikeya bowled. He got him enrolled immediately in the academy. "His action was so smooth, his use of fingers imparted action on the ball," Sanjay Bharadwaj said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo. 

Kartikeya used to work in a factory in Ghaziabad where he did the night shifts and then went to the academy, which was 80 km away, in the morning. Bharadwaj asked him to shift with the academy's cook. 

"When the cook gave him lunch, Kartikeya began to cry: he hadn't eaten lunch for a year," Bharadwaj recalled. 

Kartikeya began playing for his school and dominated the age group cricket even in the DDCA league. Yet, Kartikeya failed to clear the DDCA trials. Bharadwaj sent him to Madhya Pradesh to his friend. 

"Looking at his ability and dedication, I sent him to my friend and secretary of Shahdol Cricket Association Ajay Dwivedi. He played division cricket there and took 50-plus wickets in his first two years," Bharadwaj said. 

Kartikeya continued his domination in state-trial matches and went on to make his Ranji Debut for Madhya Pradesh. 

"Whenever he is free, he starts bowling in the nets. Many a time he comes back from matches in Indore late in the night and gets the lights on and spends the next two-three hours in the nets. His obsession has only grown in the last nine years."

Began as a slow left-arm orthodox but developed his wrist spin skills simultaneously. He made his IPL debut for Mumbai Indians against Rajasthan Royals where he bowled every type of delivery: from orthodox spin to carrom balls to wrong'uns; Kartikeya got Sanju Samson out in his first over of the game. 

"I am a mystery bowler. I feel good," Kartikeya introduced himself. "When I found out I was playing I was a little nervous. But I planned overnight for every batter."