Manvanth Kumar

Some Lesser Known Facts About Manvanth Kumar

• Manvanth Kumar was born in a middle-class family. He was inspired to play cricket by his elder brother.

• During his teenage years, he once fell from a compound and hurt his hand. However, he stood up, took his bat and ball, went into a room for further practice, and closed the door.

• He used to ride a bicycle for 15 km to train at Balachandra Cricket Club. Initially, both brothers had only one cycle, which they shared for their practice.

  

• There were financial challenges as well, but a cricket institute gave free training.

• His mother claimed that he was a very naughty kid. Whenever his father came back from his job, they played cricket for some time.

• His elder brother, Hemanth, motivated him to train regularly. He also helped Manvanth with different sessions, helping him train in batting one day, followed by bowling the next day.

• He later played for Mysuru age-group teams and got a chance to play for Karnataka age-group teams.

  

• Initially, he played as an opening batsman, but later, he worked on his bowling and became an all-rounder. In his first zonal match after a few days, he took 7 wickets.

• His father lost his job as a bus driver during the early phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020, but always encouraged him to play cricket with full dedication.

• His father became a driver for Dr. Bhanuprakash Sharma, a noted astrologer in Srirangapatna.

  

• He ended the 2023 Maharaja Trophy season as the highest wicket-taker with 22 wickets at an economy rate of 7.82 and defended 12 runs in the final to help them win the match. It’s the most wickets in a single edition of the tournament.

  

• He also got a call-up for the Karnataka extended roster for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) but wasn’t chosen for the final team.

• He went unsold in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction for his base price of Rs 30 lakhs.

• He performed well in the 2024 Maharaja Trophy which made him popular in the local cricket circuits.

• Later, domestic coaches Mansoor Ali Khan and Vinay Kumar helped him secure a trial with the Indian Premier League (IPL) team, Mumbai Indians (MI).

• He helped the Karnataka Under-23 team win the 2023-2024 Col CK Nayudu Trophy by defeating the Uttar Pradesh Under-23 team.

  

• On 27 November 2024, he made his T20 debut for Karnataka in SMAT, scoring 8 runs not out in 4 balls and going wicketless with 17 runs in 2 overs.

• He later participated in a 4-day training camp with Delhi Capitals (DC) where he got tips from coach Pravin Amre and cricketers Lalit Yadav and Abishek Porel.

• In the 2025 IPL auction, Delhi Capitals (DC) acquired him for his base price of Rs 30 lakhs.

  

• He became the first cricketer from Mysuru zone to secure an IPL contract.

• In January 2025, he signed a sponsorship deal with SS (Sareen Sports) Industries.

  

• He works out regularly at the Yonder Gym in Mysuru.

  

• He was inspired by the English captain Ben Stokes, learning the ability to handle pressure in crucial moments of a cricket match.

• He is considered a good death bowler due to his extra height and ability to bowl at hard lengths. He is also a knuckleball and yorkers specialist.