RR Net Bowler Naman Tiwari

The Indian Premier League has been a platform for youngsters to showcase their talent over the years. While the cash-rich league has helped the cricketers financially, it has also been a path for some to make an entry into the Indian team in a much easier way.

UP’s Naman Tiwari who has played age group cricket for the state is another such instance who is slowly making inroads towards the bigger stage. A left-handed fast bowler and a left-handed batter has been around the Rajasthan Royals camp as a net bowler.

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“I was a part of the India U19 probable camp recently. It was during this time that I came to know about the Red Bull Speedstar event. I went there for the trials and got through it. Courtesy of this event, I got the opportunity to be a part of the Rajasthan Royals as a net bowler. I was the net bowler for the Royals last year as well and the Speedstar event has really been helpful,” Tiwari said.

Hailing the contest organised by Red Bull, the youngster admitted that it has been instrumental in giving opportunities to budding cricketers, especially to those who come from humble backgrounds.

“I would like to add that this Red Bull Speedstar event is a brilliant idea. It has opened gates for a lot of cricketers especially the ones who come from a very humble background or are not able to get the recognition. Red Bull has been very supportive in getting those talented players the limelight. I thank Red Bull for supporting me and introducing this kind of contest.”

Naman got a chance to interact with some of the greats of the game. Talking about the learnings he got from Lasith Malinga and Trent Boult, the left-handed player said, “I got to learn a lot from Lasith Malinga and Trent Boult and it was a great experience spending time with them. They gave me lessons on how to bowl in different conditions and situations.”

The left-arm pacer had a decent run during the 2021-22 Cooch Behar Trophy as well as Vinoo Mankad Trophy 2022.

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 In Cooch Behar Trophy, which is the tournament for U19 cricketers, Naman had 13 scalps to his name from 5 games. On the other side, he picked up four wickets in two outings which also included a three-wicket haul and best figures of 3/19.

Tiwari made a significant contribution in the Cooch Behar fixture against Kerala where he picked up three wickets in the first innings and two in the second as UP registered a comprehensive win by 146 runs.