Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) left-arm orthodox bowler Manimaran Siddharth said he would love to pick the brains of international spinners Sunil Narine (the West Indies) and Kuldeep Yadav (India) during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020.
Siddharth (right) with KKR teammate Varun
Chennai:
For the 13th edition which is scheduled to take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) between September and November, Knight Riders possesses five spinners – Narine, Kuldeep, Chris Green, Varun Chakravarthy and Pravin Tambe – with the exception of Siddharth.
“Narine and Kuldeep have been successful for a number of years now. I will try to find out their mantra for success by interacting with them,” debutant Siddharth, who was purchased for Rs 20 lakh by KKR at the IPL Auction, told DT Next on Wednesday.
The 22-year-old will have good company in the KKR set-up, led by wicketkeeperbatsman Dinesh Karthik. Apart from skipper Karthik and Narine, England’s World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan, West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell as well as Australia speedster Pat Cummins form the nucleus of the two-time title-winner.
“IPL is a huge platform and playing in it will be a great experience for me. I will get to learn from the foreigners, who have been in the scene for long,” added Siddharth, a man of few words. The Tamil Nadu lad revealed that a Knight Riders preparatory camp, which was hosted in Mumbai in March prior to the coronavirus-enforced lockdown, helped him adapt well to the new environment.
“A first-timer will take a bit of time to settle in. I was there in Mumbai for about five to six days. During that time, I got to know a few people well. I think, that will make my job easier when IPL starts. I will also have Tamil Nadu captain Karthik and state teammate Varun by my side,” he explained.
Siddharth made heads turn during the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 domestic tournament last year and his career has been on an upward trajectory since then. The youngster said he is working his socks off to have a good start to his IPL life.
“I have been performing (fitness) drills at my home itself. However, for practice, I have been going to a private academy in Kodambakkam. The T20 league will begin (in a monthanda-half’s time). I have been keeping that in mind and training accordingly,” signed off Siddharth, a West Mambalam resident.