Kartik joined his India U-19 team mates Priyam Garg and Yashasvi Jaiswal to feature in the thirteenth edition of the cash rich T20 league which is being staged in the United Arab Emirates UAE for the second time since 2014.
Kartik was one among the three changes announced by RR skipper Steve Smith for the encounter against MI. The teen seamer came into the playing eleven for the 'Royals' in place of spin all-rounder Riyan Parag.
Decent Start In Maiden IPL Outing
Kartik had a dream start to his IPL career as he dismissed Mumbai Indians opener Quinton De Kock in his very first over. The South African opener was surprised by a quick bouncer from the teen speedster, top-edging the delivery straight to wicketkeeper Jos Butler behind the stumps.
The promising teen seamer from UP could generate good pace under lights at the Shiekh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi and hurried onto the MI top order batsman by banging the ball short on quite a few occasions.
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In his maiden IPL outing, he was a bit expensive in his 4-over spell conceding 36 runs but had the wicket of opener Quinton De Kock to his name.
Roped In By Rajasthan Royals For Rs 1.3 Crores In IPL 2020 Auctions
The promising 19-year old seamer form Uttar Pradesh was roped in for Rs 1.30 crores by Rajasthan Royals in the 2020 Indian Premier League auctions held in Kolkata in December 2019.
2nd Highest Wicket Taker For India At 2020 ICC Under-19 World Cup In South Africa
Kartik was a key member of the Indian Under-19 team which made it to the finals of the 2020 ICC Under-19 World Cup against sub continent rivals Bangladesh. The Priyam Garg-led Indian team ended up losing the title clash to Bangladesh by 3 wickets at the grand finale played at Potchefstroom in South Africa.
The UP speedster was the second highest wicket taker for the Indian Colts behind leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi with 11 wickets in his six outings at the marquee event. He produced a match winning spell against Australia in the quarterfinals by returning with figures of 4-24.
Represents Uttar Pradesh In Domestic Cricket
Kartik represents his home state Uttar Pradesh in both first class and List A cricket at the domestic level. He has so far played just the one first class match for UP in which he took 3 wickets. He has taken 9 wickets in his 5 List A appearances for Uttar Pradesh.
With an action and run-up modelled on his idol and Australian speedster Brett Lee, Karthik can rack up serious pace and bowls consistently in the late 130 and early 140s even at a relatively early stage of his career.
Kartik Endured And Overcame Many Challenges In His Personal Life To Break Through Into Top Flight Domestic Cricket
Hailing from Hapur in Western Uttar Pradesh, Karthik overcame an an economically weak background and defied many odds to make a mark for himself at a rather early stage of his cricketing career in a highly competitive domestic circuit in India.
Early in his life, Karthik has endured some rainy days with his family as his father had to sell 2.5 acres of farming land at his village in Dhanora (West UP). As a matter of fact, the tearaway speedster developed the strength for bowling fast by carrying sacks of produce from his father's farm in Hapur.
The rising teen seamer also happens to be under the tutelage of famous Uttar Pradesh bowling coach Vipin Vats, under whom the likes of Indian internationals Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Praveen Kumar fine tuned and mentored their careers.