IPL 2022: KKR newcomer Pratham Singh keen to impress

Add as a preferred source on Google

Bengaluru, March 26: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have invested a lot in youngsters this Indian Premier League (IPL) season, with Pratham Singh being one of them and the left-hander is hoping to leave a mark in his maiden season with the Kolkata-based franchise in the 15th edition of the tournament which gets underway on Saturday (March 26).

The 29-year-old has been a consistent performer for Railways in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and even though he was picked up by now-defunct IPL franchise Gujarat Lions in 2017, he did not get any game time.

A five-year long wait followed, which finally ended when he was picked up by KKR at the IPL mega auction in February.

IPL SPECIAL PAGE

The Delhi player is now eager to prove his mettle at the 15th edition of the cash-rich franchise-based global T20 tournament, a stage where many dreams have been realised over the years.

"It's a very good opportunity for any domestic cricketer and I've been doing well for Railways. In IPL, even one innings can change your life. If you can do well, you've an opportunity to play for the country," Singh told PTI news agency.

"I've been with the team for the past two weeks and I'm learning a lot from Brendon McCullum and Abhishek Nayar sir. I'm looking forward to growing as a cricketer and making an impact."

"The struggle was there for last five years as I wasn't getting picked up. But better late then never. I'm grateful and happy that I was picked up by KKR and I'm looking forward to making the most of the opportunities that come my way."

This year, Singh missed two matches at the Ranji Trophy after testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), but he returned to score a 75 in the first innings in Railways' nine-wicket win over Jammu and Kashmir.

"We missed out on the qualification this year in Ranji Trophy just by one point. I was down with COVID-19 just a day before my first Ranji game. There were only three games, so it was frustrating to miss out on two games due to COVID-19. I scored 75 in the last game," he said.

KKR begin their IPL 2022 campaign against defending champions Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday, in a virtual repeat of last year's final.

The match starts at 7.30pm local time and will be shown on Star Sports Network channels.