Shivang Kumar for Madhya Pradesh - (Source: Screengrab/x.com)
On Thursday, January 8, the sixth round of the Vijay Hazare Trophy got underway across various grounds in India. After every matchday, a new hero emerges and becomes an overnight sensation for their brilliant on-field display.
The latest uncapped star to join the bangwagon is Shivang Kumar. The 23-year-old, who represents Madhya Pradesh, took a five-wicket haul to rattle Karnataka. The left-arm wrist spinner registered the figures of 5/ 45 in ten overs. He picked up the likes of Smaran Ravichandran, Abhinav Manohar, and Shryeas Gopal.
The chatter around Shivang Kumar is because the youngster has been roped in by Sunrisers Hyderabad for IPL 2026 at a base price of 30 lakhs. Kumar will be a part of Men in Orange for the upcoming season, and the fans are curious to know more about him.
Meet Shivang Kumar: SRH’s latest recruit
The 23-year-old has recently come to the scene and made his T20 debut in November 2025. Talking about his recent stats in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the left-arm spinner has impressed and has 10 wickets in three innings.
Interestingly, Shivang is not just a bowler, but also a clean hitter of the ball. Even before the IPL auction, Kumar featured in the MP T20 league, where he took five wickets in four innings and also scored 120 runs with the bat. Most importantly, he registered a strike rate of 196.
In India, left-arm wrist spinners are a rarity, and no other prominent spinner than Kuldeep Yadav has made it to the top for India. Now, one advantage for Shivang is that he can bat, whereas the other left-arm wrist spinners can’t. Therefore, SRH might look to tap that USP of Kumar and also rope him in the playing XI since the start of IPL 2026.
Madhya Pradesh is flourishing under Shivang Kumar
So far in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26, Shivang Kumar’s contribution has helped Madhya Pradesh stay alive in the tournament. At present, MP have played six matches and are placed fourth with 16 points. MP need to win their final game with a good margin to qualify for the knockout stage alongside Karnataka from group A.
Notably, Shivang is Madhya Pradesh’s second-leading wicket-taker after Kumar Kartikeya, who has 13 wickets in seven innings. The two spinners have done exceptionally well for MP.
At present, SRH are struggling for a quality spinner, and Shivang’s presence in the team can boost their spin quality.
