Manvanth Kumar plays cricket with freedom and flair. He rarely tucks his shirt in, is loose-limbed, bowls and fields with frantic energy, and loves the big hits.
Against Saurashtra recently, in only his second First Class match, the 22-year-old conjured an awe-inspiring 135 (214b, 11×4, 6×6) after coming in at No. 9, with the score at 187 for seven.
Karnataka collected just one point from the match, and has a lowly two from its opening two Ranji Trophy fixtures, but Manvanth’s emergence – 223 runs in four innings – has been a breath of fresh air.
Interestingly, Manvanth first made a mark as a fast bowler. With 22 wickets, he was the leading wicket-taker in Hubli Tigers’ title win in the 2023 Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20. In Karnataka’s 2023-24 Col. C.K. Nayudu (U-23) Trophy triumph, he took a five-wicket haul in the final against Uttar Pradesh (five for 36).
In a wonderful coincidence, R. Vinay Kumar, Karnataka’s current head coach, was Manvanth’s mentor at Hubli Tigers. R. Smaran, under whom Manvanth made his First Class debut in Andhra 10 days ago, captained him during the C.K. Nayudu triumph.
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“He’s one of the few players in the current crop who can make it big,” Vinay said. “He is a stroke-maker, and my message to him is clear – express yourself. The kind of strength and reach he has, he can score those big 100s.
“He’s a very good bowler too, and can easily touch 135-plus. We don’t have that many good fast-bowling all-rounders in India. This guy can be there,” the former India pacer added.
Like Vinay, Manvanth too hails from a modest background. He grew up in Mysuru, and his father was a Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus driver, who now runs a travel agency.
Two years ago, Manvanth shifted to Bengaluru, lock, stock and barrel, having discontinued his studies at Maharaja’s College, in pursuit of his cricketing dream.
“I never wanted to be in a comfort zone,” Manvanth said. “I always wanted to build a career in Bengaluru. I have no distractions now. Cricket is the only thing on my mind.”
Come Monday, he will line up against Tripura at the SDNR Wadiyar Stadium inside the University of Mysore campus. Aged 12, Manvanth had started his sporting journey at the Mysore University Colleges Sports Council (MUCSC) under coach Mansoor Ahmed.
There couldn’t have been a better homecoming.
Published on Oct 22, 2026
