Richer by IPL experience Gowtham ready to leave his mark in KPL

Bengaluru, August 12: K Gowtham became one of the highest paid players at the Karnataka Premier League 2017 after Belagavi Panthers paid Rs 7.2 lakh for him. It's a justified price tag too because the off-spinner picked up 27 wickets from eight games in the last Ranji season.

The effort has also seen him getting drafted into the India 'A' squad in South Africa as a replacement for injured Jayant Yadav. Now, the 28-year-old is all set to leave bigger footprint in the upcoming KPL season.

Gowtham said his stint with Mumbai Indians boosted his confidence. "The IPL experience helped me better my thinking. I have raised one step, gone one step ahead. I raised my bar, whether it is thinking wise or fitness wise. And especially skill wise, the IPL has helped me in a big way," he said.

This year the KPL will see a new team, Bengaluru Blasters, vying for honours and Gowtham said it would only help to widen the exposure of the tournament.

"The exposure will be more, the franchisees might come in (to scout) this year as well as it's also in Bengaluru. The crowd too will increase with the matches being played in Bengaluru in addition to Mysuru and Hubbali," he said.

Gowtham said the KPL has became an important shopping point for talent scouts in the Indian Premier League.

"A lot of youngsters get picked because of the KPL. It's a great platform for all of us. You can see Cariappa, Shivil Kaushik, Kishore Kamath, a lot of other players who had not played the first-class game but still they played the IPL. That shows how much mileage the KPL has," he added.