Avinash Singh

Some Lesser Known Facts About Avinash Singh

• Avinash Singh is an Indian cricketer, who was signed by Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rs. 60 lakhs during the 2023 Indian Premier League’s mini-auction in Kochi. RCB discovered Avinash through Hinterland Scouting, an AI-based scouting system that helps to screen out players across the country.

• He grew up in a lower-middle-class family in Jammu and Kashmir.

• Growing up, Avinash wanted to become an Indian Army Officer and began preparing for it at a young age. However, he dropped the idea to get into the Indian Army after failing the physical test twice.

• Avinash’s father later decided to send him to Canada and took a loan from his relatives for the same.

• Avinash was good at cricket since childhood and played it just as a hobby. He never thought of making a career out of it. In an interview, while talking about it, Avinash said,
  

  I wanted to join the army, cricket was just a hobby. I never thought that I would get a chance to play professional cricket.”

• In February 2022, while Avinash accompanied one of his friends to Mayank Goswami’s (Cricket coach) cricket academy, he came into the notice of Goswami for his bowling style.

• Impressed with Avinash’s bowling, Mayank asked Avinash to join his academy. However, Avinash started making excuses and did not visit the academy again.

• When Singh did not turn up at the academy for a week, Mayank sent a coach from his academy to Singh’s house. The coach requested Avinash’s father to let him join Mayank’s cricket academy. However, his father declined his request citing financial issues. After Mayank came to know about Avinash’s financial problems, he himself visited Singh’s father and convinced him to let Avinash play cricket. Mayank ensured his father that if Avinash did not achieve big within a year, he can send Avinash to Canada.

• Avinash, who had played cricket with a tennis ball for several years, got a chance to hold the leather ball for the first time at Mayank Goswami’s cricket academy.

• At the academy, Mayank trained Avinash for a few weeks and then decided to send him to Pune to train under Ashok Gaikwad, a cricket coach.

• Avinash trained under Ashok Gaikwad from March 2022 to June 2022 and then returned to Jammu and Kashmir.

• He then started performing at the camps of a few IPL franchises like Royal Challengers Bangalore, Lucknow Super Giants, and Delhi Capitals.

• One day, while Avinash was performing at one such camps in September 2022, he was noticed by RCB scouts, who offered Avinash to become a part of RCB’s training. In an interview, while sharing how he bagged the opportunity, Avinash said,
  

  RCB had a trial in Mumbai in September. He liked my bowling action. I did well in camp. The fastest I bowled was 154.3 kmph. I was also called in Kolkata, Lucknow, and Delhi franchises to give trial. That trial also went well. I fully expected that I would be bought.”

• In December 2022, Avinash was picked up for Rs. 60 lahks by the IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore during the 2023 Indian Premier League mini-auction in Kochi.

  

• Apparently, when Avinash was signed by Royal Challengers Bangalore, he had not played even a single professional match.

• Interestingly, Singh signed the contract with RCB just 10 months after he began his training in cricket.

• At the trials, his bowling action was considered similar to that of Umran Malik, who made his debut for India in 2022.

• In an interview, Avinash revealed that his father did not like him playing cricket. He also revealed that during the 2023 IPL mini-auctions, when his name did not appear in the uncapped players’ list, his father asked him to leave cricket and concentrate on moving to Canada. His father said,
  

  Chal, cricket ka bukhaar utaar aur Canada nikal (Go, get over this cricket fever and start packing for Canada).”

• Apparently, Avinash was also invited to attend the trials of the Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals.

• In 2022, Avinash represented the East Central Railway India cricket team twice- first against Dhruv CA and second against Armed Police.

• In an interview, while talking about the financial condition of his family, Avinash said,
  

  My father is the only earner in the house. My two brothers are studying. I wasn’t doing anything. Our financial condition was not good. There was no money to buy shoes. Father asked me from where will you buy cricket kit, it is so expensive. That’s why I started making excuses to Mayank sir.”