'I haven’t been home for nine years'- Mumbai's debutant Kumar Kartikeya shares his heart-melting journey

Kumar Kartikeya made his debut for Mumbai against Rajasthan in the 44th match of the Indian T20 League 2022 on Saturday. The 24-year-old impressed everyone with his brilliant skills in his debut game. He bowled his entire quota of four overs in the match and conceded just 16 runs with one wicket to his name. He took the crucial wicket of Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson. The wicketkeeper-batter started well but did not hold on for long as he departed after scoring 16 runs.

Notably, Mumbai had recently recruited Kumar Kartikeya as a substitute for Arshad Khan, who got injured. He described himself as a "mystery" bowler during the innings break in the previous match. He also acknowledged the fact that he was quite nervous before making his debut.

"I am a mystery bowler. I feel good. When I found out I was playing I was a little nervous. But I planned overnight for every batter. I was trying to bowl it on the pads to Samson. I got a lot of confidence when Sachin sir advised me," he said in the innings break.

The mystery spinner also revealed that he hasn't visited his home for the last nine years. He said that he wanted to achieve something before going back home. "I haven’t been home for nine years. I’d decided to return home only when I achieve something in life. My mom and dad called me frequently, but I was committed. Now finally I’ll return home after the IPL," Kartikeya told Dainik Jagran.

Meanwhile, Mumbai won their first match of the season after beating Rajasthan by five wickets on Saturday. Chasing a modest total of 159, Suryakuamar Yadav and Tilak Varma were the stars of the innings. Yadav scored a half-century and also won the man of the match.

Mumbai will play their next game against the table-toppers Gujarat on the 6th May, 2022. The Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai will host the 51st match of the tournament.