IPL 2022: Pratham Singh looking to dazzle in KKR colours

Pratham Singh boasts of a solid academic background having completed his engineering and cracked India's top business school, ISB, but all he is really passionate about is cricket. The 29-year-old from Delhi has been a consistent performer for Railways in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and even though he was picked up by now-defunct IPL franchise Gujarat Lions in 2017, he didn't get any game time. A five-year long wait followed, which finally ended when he was picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders at the last mega auction.

Singh is now eager to prove his mettle at the Indian Premier League, a stage where many dreams have been realised over the years. "It is a very good opportunity for any domestic cricketer and I have been doing well for Railways. In IPL, even one innings can change your life. If you can do well, you have an opportunity to play for the country," Singh told PTI. "I have been with the team for the past two weeks and I am learning a lot from Brendon McCullum and Abhishek Nayar sir. I am looking forward to growing as a cricketer and making an impact." In his maiden appearance at the 2019-20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Singh had amassed 438 runs in 10 matches at an average of 54.75 and strike-rate of 136.02 to help Railways top the group in the league stage. In the 2020-21 season, he smashed 299 runs at an average of 74.75 with the help of a hundred and two fifties.

"I was the second highest scorer in Syed Mushtaq Ali in my debut season and we qualified. We had defeated Mumbai and I have been the top scorer in white ball for Railways in last 3 years, so I was expecting a call every year," said Singh, who had smashed four successive fifties in the 2019 edition. "The struggle was there for last five years as I was not