Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy:
For the last two years, Tamil Nadu’s tall left-arm spinner Siddharth Manimaran wasn’t a part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after being a member of Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals camps in 2020 and 2021 seasons respectively.But the IPL Auction at Dubai last month marked a change for Siddharth, who entered the fray with a base price of INR 20 lakhs. He was picked by Lucknow Super Giants for INR 2.4 crore, staving off a challenge from the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
When the proceedings for acquiring his services were happening, Siddharth was at his friend’s place and wasn’t seeing the action on television. “I didn’t want to see it because I was a bit nervous. So I felt it’s better not to watch it. My friends were watching it and afterwards, they told me that I was picked by Lucknow team.”
“Initially, I just felt really happy to be a part of the team. After that, I really started to think about the pitches there in Lucknow,” says Siddharth in an exclusive conversation with IANS, facilitated by Whiteleaf Talent Management.
Though Siddharth didn’t get to play any IPL game for Kolkata and Delhi (the stint ended due to injury), the understanding of varied match scenarios and rubbing shoulders with quality spinners has come handy.
“At KKR, I learnt lot from experiences with the international spinners. I could feel where I was and had lots of learnings about what I could do at what time in the game. It was also about learning to read the situations and I could really understand the game better.”
“I was there in Delhi till the first half and then missed the second half as I got injured. It was a star-studded team and really quality spinners were there. I just learnt a lot of things from both teams actually. In the end, it did help me in the last two years.”
“Being there in the IPL and reading various situations has given me a lot of great confidence. I then made the transition to try out the learnings from the IPL into wherever places I played in,” he adds.
Siddharth made his T20 debut via the 2019 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he took 12 wickets. But the pivotal point for him came when he was tasked to bowl in the power-play by veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik. Initially surprised by the move, Siddharth is now well-settled in the role with his attacking lengths, making for a rare skillset in Indian spinners.
“Before that tournament, I had never bowled in the power-play. But when Dinesh Karthik told me that you will be bowling the second over, I was a bit surprised. I got to learn through a period of time and then I just wanted to read situations, play with the field and what the batter will be thinking.”
“It just came out well and after that, I only started to bowl more in power-play. Over that time, I felt like I could do well in power-plays and continue doing that role, which is now helping.”
It did wonders for his confidence levels too. “Taking that role did give me a lot of confidence to be honest. Half of the time, it comes out well and at time, it doesn’t. It’s just about the confidence and belief that I can do well in power-plays,” he adds.
Siddharth is also an agile fielder at point region, which adds an extra dimension to what he brings to the table for Lucknow in the IPL. “I have been working a lot on my fielding since my childhood days. Then, in my U-14 and U-16 days, I used to do a lot of fielding at point. So it did give me idea of how it is to field in that area. That helped me as whatever I did in my early days, it is helping me out now in fielding, apart from being quick in the field.”
Apart from the on-field work, Siddharth credits the work done off the field for making him a better player. “I work a lot on my fitness to be honest. If I don’t do anything, I go to the gym, or do running or something else. I would say this is not a short thing; has been for a long period of time now.”
“I’ve been very keen on my fitness and I feel if I’m fit and can run well, I can field well too. So that’s the thing and I’ve been working on my diet also, so it’s all helping me out (to be a better player).”
In the 2023 Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), Siddharth picked 11 wickets for Lyca Kovai Kings, who won their second title. He feels TNPL is giving the necessary top-flight cricket exposure to young players in the state.
“I myself could see a lot of difference. It started in 2016 and after playing in it, I feel that you could also see the difference in the results for the Tamil Nadu white-ball team. It’s a great exposure to be honest and there are a lot of talents also coming up through it.”
“So getting that exposure is needed to go higher in the game and I just feel playing in the TNPL has given me a lot of confidence and made me move my game to higher standards.”
Siddharth is also in awe of all-rounder Shahrukh Khan, his captain at Lyca, for being a players’ leader in the TNPL and enjoys being in the company of Washington Sundar and B Sai Sudharsan.
“He (Shahrukh) has his own process and is a wonderful leader to be honest. He’s that kind of a leader a player wants. He’s very instinctive, and just backs the players (to come good). It’s always fun and we all enjoy each other’s company. We also pull each other’s leg or do something else and there’s always a fun vibe.”
Though Siddharth is not in the Tamil Nadu squad for the upcoming Ranji Trophy, he is still putting in the hard yards to be ready for his chance. “I have been working hard and just waiting for my opportunity (in red-ball cricket).”
“I am just doing the things which I can do and I am looking at it in that way. I am trying if I could bring in some more variation (in my bowling) and just working on what I can do the best (in next few months).”
