New Delhi: It was Ankit Verma last year and this year it’s Shivam Shukla who realised the dream of playing in the IPL with the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise. The talented cricketer from Madhya Pradesh has become the new success story of Madhya Pradesh Cricket League (MPL), which is the idea of Mahanaryaman Scindia, Vice President of Gwalior Division Cricket Board and Chairman of the league.
The MPL, which began last year with the idea of becoming a platform for budding MP cricketers, will be held in June this year with the second edition touted to be much bigger. The league began with only 5 men’s teams last year but in the upcoming second edition, the number has been increased to 7 men’s team and 3 women’s teams.
In 2024, numerous stars shined on the cricket field from MPL, with Rajat Patidar one of the big names who got selected as the captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 2025 edition. Many other names from MPL like Venkatesh Iyer, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Sen, Harpreet Bhatia, Arshad Khan, Kumar Karthikeya, Madhav Tiwari among others, have left a mark with their superlative performances in IPL. Ankit Verma brilliant performance in MPL landed him a debut in IPL’s Sunrisers Hyderabad team, where he performed well.
Shivam Shukla replaces Rovman Powell in KKR
Shivam Shukla, who has been the face of MPL last year, replaced Rovman Powell for Kolkata Knight Riders’ remaining matches in the cash-rich league. In KKR’s Instagram post, the franchise referred to him as the ‘Mystery Spinner of MP’. On back of a remarkable performance in MPL last season, Shukla managed to bag a deal with the IPL franchise. In the inaugural MPL edition, he claimed 12 wickets in 6 matches, with his best bowling figures being 4 wickets for 18 runs, with an economy rate of just 6.2. His consistency and variety in bowling has established him an an emerging spinner.
Mahanaryaman Scindia’s hard work paying off
The idea of Mahanaryaman Scindia behind MPL is that it should not only turn into a home grown T20 league but such a platform for the players of MP through which they get a chance to make a place in IPL, the national team and various other leagues around the world. Because of the international standards of the league and the talent available, the selectors and other scouts are forced to keep an eye on the players in MPL.
Shivam Shukla, who has been the face of MPL last year, replaced Rovman Powell for Kolkata Knight Riders’ remaining matches in the cash-rich league. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
