In just one year, Shivang Kumar transformed from a swashbuckling opener into a deadly chinaman bowler—and his father Praveen was the mastermind behind the change.
The 24-year-old first made waves in the Madhya Pradesh T20 League as a hard-hitting opener, earning him a Rs 13 lakh contract with the Bundelkhand Bulls for the 2026 season. But it was his sudden shift to wrist-spin that truly caught the cricketing world off guard. Within months, IPL franchises came calling, and after multiple trials, Sunrisers Hyderabad snapped him up.
So how did a top-order batter reinvent himself as a spinner in record time? The answer lies in a father's unfulfilled dream.
Praveen Kumar, a former Bengal U-19 cricketer, now works as a Chief Inspector of Ticket with Indian Railways—a job he took 34 years ago after his own cricketing ambitions were cut short. "I was offered a job under the sports quota. My mother said I was being ungrateful to refuse. So I took it and left cricket," he recalls.
But he never stopped dreaming. When Shivang was just eight years old, a chance encounter at Vrindavan gave the family a sign. "A saint predicted he would fulfill my unfulfilled dreams. I thought he wanted money, but he refused and said, 'This boy will make you proud.'"
From age five, Shivang was at the stadium with his father, soaking in the game. Praveen never pushed, but he prayed. "I used to pray that the cricketing gods, who were cruel to me, would let me live my dream through my sons."
That dream is now playing out in the IPL. In just eight matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Shivang has picked six wickets, including a stunning 3/33 against Punjab Kings on April 11. Not bad for a player who was opening the batting just a year ago.
His rapid rise is a testament to hard work, adaptability, and a father's quiet determination. Whether he's bowling googlies or flighted leg-breaks, Shivang Kumar is proving that with the right guidance, transformation is always possible—even in just one season.