Meet 18-yr-old Khrievitso Kense, Nagaland cricketer selected in IPL bidding 2022

18-year-old Khrievitso Kense is the only cricketer from Nagaland to be selected in IPL bidding 2022. Kense is a right arm leg spin bowler selected by the Reliance Foundation-backed Mumbai Indians at a reserve price of Rs 20 lakh.
 
Kense was shortlisted for the IPL auction in 2021 as well and was congratulated by the state chief minister Neiphiu Rio. At that time, IPL teams like Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians were eyeing the youngest player in an auction pool of 292.
 
“My best wishes to Khrievitso Kense from Nagaland, the youngest Indian player to be shortlisted for IPL 2021 Auction. I hope he gets picked by a great franchisee that will perform excellently in the IPL 2021,” Rio tweeted.

Who is Khrievitso Kense?
 
Kense is the fifth among seven siblings and comes from Sovima village near Dimapur. Kense debuted in Nagaland’s Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 opener against Arunachal Pradesh and was pressed into action inside the Powerplay.
 
He says that he became a cricketer all by himself and honed his skills as a bowler by watching Shane Warne on TV. Rio told news agency PTI, “I was initially bowling off-spin. But my fingers started paining. Then I tried leg-spin. I didn’t have anyone to coach me. So I followed Shane Warne on TV and phone.”
 
He further said that he liked the way the Australian cricketer turned the ball and that there was just a mentor who would guide him as he played under-16 cricket. After his stint in under-16 cricket, Kense made everyone take notice of his talent with a five-wicket haul against Uttar Pradesh in a Vijay Merchant Trophy’s 2018-19 pre-quarterfinal.
 
Nagaland coach Kanwaljit Singh, a former Hyderabad off-spinner, was really impressed with Kense’s bowling skills. Singh said, “He really impressed me with his trajectory which is ideally suited for any format of the game.”
 
“For a kid of his age, he also showed very good control and hardly bowled any loose deliveries. It was exceptional,” he noted. Singh further told PTI that Kense also has the height advantage of being nearly 6 feet. He added that he started the addressing the young cricketer as ‘Kriv’ as he found it difficult to get his first name right.
 
(With agencies inputs)

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