A job in the railways, struggle, and then success as a cricketer - this doesn't sound like a new story in the landscape of Indian cricket. But for left-arm wristspin-bowling allrounder Shivang Kumar, who is with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2026, these three segments of his life span two generations.
From Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, Shivang plays for Madhya Pradesh in domestic cricket, and is now trying to fulfil not only his own dream but also that of his father, Praveen Kumar, a senior ticket collector with Indian Railways who once aspired to become a cricketer himself.
"My father played Under-19 cricket for Bengal. But due to family circumstances, he had to give up cricket," Shivang says. "We share the same dream - that I play for the Indian team - and the IPL is a big platform to reach that goal."
Shivang made his way to the IPL through impressive performances in the Madhya Pradesh League (MPL) and in domestic cricket. In just his second match of MPL 2025, he scored 91 runs off 42 balls while opening the innings for Bhopal Leopards. That included smashing nine fours and six sixes. Overall he scored 120 runs in six innings in that tournament at a strike rate of 196.72, and he also took five wickets in four innings at an economy of 7.21.
Then came impactful performances with both bat and ball in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26. He took ten wickets in three matches, including a five-for against Karnataka. He also scored a half-century against Jharkhand. Just before that, he had made his debut in domestic cricket in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he took four wickets in four matches and scored 59 runs at a strike rate of 143.90.
"Before that [the game against Karnataka], I had taken wickets against Kerala [two] and Jharkhand [three], but I wasn't bowling in rhythm, and had conceded a lot of runs," Shivang says. "So when I got a chance against Karnataka, it was quite surprising for me. Our coach Chandrakant Pandit felt I should be given an opportunity on that pitch. He told me, 'Make the most of this chance because not everyone gets one.' His words really motivated me."
Speaking about his half-century against Jharkhand, Shivang says, "It was challenging but it was also an opportunity for me to prove that I can bat in the lower order. That innings gave me a lot of confidence."
Before the IPL 2026 auction Shivang trialled for Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals but couldn't attend SRH trials on both occasions when he was called. However, in the auction it was SRH who eventually bought him, for Rs 30 lakh (about US$ 35,000).
"A brother of mine advised me to watch the biopic on MS Dhoni. It was after watching it that I decided to give cricket another go. After about a year or so, I picked up the bat again, and scored 98 runs in a local tournament. That day I realised I could leave cricket but cricket would never leave me"
"The first time there was a typhoon, and the second time there was a strike from IndiGo [airlines]," he says about missing the two SRH trials. "But since I had given trials for other teams and performed well in the MPL, I was confident that some team would pick me in the IPL auction."
He is now excited about the opportunity to learn at SRH from two of the world's top spinners, head coach Daniel Vettori and spin-bowling coach Muthiah Muralidaran.
At the state level, Shivang mostly batted as an opener. But after playing a couple of good innings in the lower middle order in domestic cricket, he now feels confident about batting there. Considering SRH's strong top order, this flexibility could help him secure a place in their middle order.
There was a time in his early days as a cricketer when he lost interest in the game. The fear of not being able to achieve his goal shattered his dreams, and he quit the sport at 13. "Then a brother of mine advised me to watch the biopic on MS Dhoni," Shivang says. "It was after watching it that I decided to give cricket another go. After about a year or so, I picked up the bat again, and scored 98 runs in a local tournament against a team from Delhi. That day I realised I could leave cricket, but cricket would never leave me."
Shivang then suggested that his father Praveen watch the movie.
"When I went to watch the film, I became emotional and remembered my struggling days," Praveen says. "When I used to play cricket, I didn't have enough resources, but I decided I would provide my son with all the facilities. When he performed well in a local tournament, I took him the next day to Tansen Cricket Academy in Gwalior, and that's where a new journey began. From Gwalior, a coach took him to Bhopal for a match, where both Priyansh Arya and Shivang performed well."
Praveen recognised his son's talent at a very young age and would take time out from his job to train the five-year-old on the field.
"After initially playing from the Gwalior division, I moved to Rewa, where I learned the skills required in professional cricket," Shivang says. "Earlier, I used to bowl left-arm fingerspin. But I felt I needed to stand out from the crowd, so I started bowling left-arm wristspin. Being an opening batter and a left-arm wristspinner helped me a lot. I had decided that if I had to achieve something, I had to do it quickly."
Has his and his father's dream been fulfilled?
"This is just the beginning," Praveen says. "The real goal is to wear the India blazer. Just a few months ago, when Shivang went to Kolkata to play in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, it felt like he resumed my incomplete journey. I am confident he will learn a lot in the IPL, and carry my dream forward. He will not only play for India but also win matches for the country."
This story was first published on ESPNcricinfo Hindi.