Sai Kishore: Benchwarmer to key cog in Gujarat Titans’ wheel | Cricket News
CHENNAI: R Sai Kishore has been one of the best finger spinners in the Indian domestic circuit for a few years now. But the Tamil Nadu left-arm orthodox bowler had to bide his time to become a regular playing member in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
In his first IPL stint at Chennai Super Kings, Sai Kishore warmed the bench for two successive seasons as he was expectedly behind Ravindra Jadeja, a master of his craft, in the pecking order.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
While the tweaker broke into the Gujarat Titans (GT) XI in the business end of their title-winning campaign in 2022, he had to be content with a bit-part role in the previous three-year cycle because of the presence of top-quality spinners in Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad. But this year, he has been a regular feature.
On Wednesday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, it was his spell of 2 for 22 that went a long way in Titans winning the game. The lanky left-armer was bought back by Titans for Rs 2 crore using the ‘Right To Match’ card at the mega auction.
With Noor making the move to CSK, Sai Kishore, who has a phenomenal economy of 5.98 in 73 T20 matches, has been elevated to a frontline spinner in the ‘playing XII’ (including the Impact Player). The 28-year-old is leading the wickets chart for GT with six scalps in three matches.
“I’m actually looking forward to this season (playing more matches). All this while, I’ve watched a lot of games and learnt a lot. I’ve been very honest with myself and have worked really hard. Let us hope that this season is a wonderful one,” said Sai Kishore after GT’s win over Mumbai Indians in Ahmedabad.
The left-arm slow bowler has underlined his credentials with match-influencing spells in less-than-favourable conditions for the spinners. When PBKS put on a boundary-hitting exhibition in Ahmedabad, Sai Kishore produced a miserly effort of 3 for 30.
On Wednesday, he foxed the RCB batters with variations, which included angles, speeds and type of deliveries. The one that caught everyone’s attention was the ‘carrom ball’ that he unleashed against Krunal Pandya, with the southpaw having no clue how to deal with it and handing a simple return catch.
“To be relevant in T20 cricket, you have to keep evolving. I have been practising that ball for the last three years, but I had not bowled it anywhere. I was confident enough to bowl it in this IPL; I just went with my instinct. It is like a carrom ball, I get more dip on it. You can call it anything (laughs),” said Sai Kishore.
Sai Sudharsan, the Tamil Nadu red-ball skipper’s statemate and a teammate at GT, hailed him for being a street-smart operator.
“Off the field, I see the amount of effort he puts in and the preparation he does in terms of having tactical advantages over the batters. That is putting him ahead of the other bowlers. He understands the game and situation, he uses his speeds and angles accordingly. It is one of the strengths he has. That is why he is bowling the way he has been,” Sai Sudharsan said.
“In this game (against RCB), Sai Kishore’s spell was the most important one because it was difficult facing the fast bowlers on this pitch. As batters, we try to maximise against the spinners (on such pitches). He was smart enough. He used the right speeds and angles,” he added.
Get the latest IPL 2025 updates on Times of India, including match schedules, team squads, points table and IPL live score for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Don’t miss the list of players in the race for IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple cap.
