He recently amassed a nine-ball 30 in the SMAT 2025.
The 22-year-old Sunny Sandhu has caught plenty of eyeballs with his timely all-round show just days before the much-anticipated IPL 2026 auction. Moreover, following the viral Tweet of the former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, many expect the youngster to grab his maiden Indian Premier League deal in the forthcoming mini auction.
In an exclusive chat with Cricxtasy, the youngster opened up about appearing in the trials for the three-time champions, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He discussed playing a 20-over match for the KKR XI and receiving guidance from the newly appointed head coach, Abhishek Nayar.
“I was called by KKR for the trials of KKR XI. Abhishek Nayar sir was also there and we were made to play a proper T20 match. After that, I spoke to Abhishek sir and he gave me feedback to make improvements in places he felt lacking,” stated Sandhu.
While speaking about the KKR call-up, Sandhu noted how his previous interaction with Nayar paved the way for the opportunity.
“I had, in fact, met him before also when he came to the academy in Chennai once. I had played a match with him there, so he had a little bit good impression of me, and that’s how I got invited for KKR trials,” revealed the all-rounder.
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Initially, the player was not part of the Tamil Nadu squad for the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025. But after a horror start to the tournament, losing three out of the first four fixtures, Sandhu was added to the three-time winners’ camp.
Coming on the back of a victorious campaign in the BCCI U23 Men’s State-A Trophy, the all-rounder scored a quickfire 11-run cameo off six balls and conceded only 32 runs in his four-over quota during his maiden SMAT 2025 appearance, facing Jharkhand.
Following the commendable stats, he once again set the stage on fire with a blazing nine-ball 30 against Saurashtra and also chipped in with a crucial wicket. These consecutive all-round shows indicate that Sandhu could be a highly sought-after commodity for the IPL 2026.
Furthermore, after the retirement of the star KKR all-rounder Andre Russell, the Knights would also be looking for a player who can accelerate the run rate in the lower order as well as contribute some crucial scalps with the ball. This increases the chances for Sandhu to grab his maiden IPL contract.
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