The only thought that flashes in the mind while envisaging Luvnith Sisodia’s cricketing skills is loads of talent. Unfortunately, fate hasn’t exactly been kind to him. For one reason or the other, the dashing left-hand wicketkeeper-batter has had to forgo opportunities that came his way.
Last week, he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 30 lakhs in the 2025 IPL Auction. As a result, he will now get a chance to ply his trade at a ground where a fluffed chance resulted in him being dropped from the state side. Perhaps, the stars have started to align for Sisodia to make an impact on the grandest of stages.
“My entire journey has been a rollercoaster,” he quipped when he spoke to RevSportz. “There was one match that we were playing at Eden Gardens, against Punjab, in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. I happened to drop a catch, and we lost that game. From there on, I didn’t play senior cricket for two years. Now I am going to kick-start my journey for Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. It is very poetic.”
Even during the recently concluded IPL Auction, his fortunes seemed to have swung back and forth, almost like the pendulum of an old clock. On day 1, there were no takers for Sisodia as he went unsold. Just around 24 hours later, Sisodia was back in the mix as KKR bagged his services at the fag end of the auction. Sisodia recounted another of his topsy-turvy journeys with a tinge of emotion.
“I was watching the auction from the start, my name was up there, I was unsold, I was a little sad,” he said. “I then realised that life goes on, you still have to keep working hard till you get there. I just slept that day, I had dinner and spent time with my family. Next day, I went for my training. Then, while having dinner with my mother, suddenly one of my friends messaged. Aakanksh (his agent) also called. I was wondering what is happening, as everybody is calling. That is when I got to know that KKR had picked me.”
Sisodia went on to add: “My dad was travelling; it was just my mother and me. My mother saw that I was a little bit disappointed and made some tasty food for me. We were eating together, we were just generally discussing things. I had my injuries, just before my Ranji Trophy debut. Working hard for Ranji, suddenly before a match that you’re expected to play, you get injured. There were so many emotions (flowing), back and forth. Suddenly, the phone just started ringing. It was a happy time. Mum and I cherished that moment.”
One of his injury setbacks came during the 2022 IPL. A couple of years later, his dream of representing Karnataka in a Ranji Trophy game seemed to have all but materialised. But fate decided something else was in store for him.
“The only thing is that the injury I had when I was with RCB in 2022 was unfortunate,” he said. “It had nothing to do with my fitness. The recent injury I had, the ball hit just above my wrist, the metacarpal. So, it is just an unfortunate thing. That is very hard to digest, sometimes you can’t do anything about it. It is also about missing out on opportunities. The opportunities are at your doorstep and taken away from you as it is not in your control.”
Amid numerous setbacks, Sisodia has showcased sparks of brilliance with the willow. Some of those innings give an inkling about his game-breaking potential. Around three years ago, he had cracked an astonishing 129-ball, 312 in a Corporate one-day tournament. In the recent past, he compiled a stunning innings of 187 against Mumbai, in the Dr (Capt) K Thimmappiah Memorial Tournament.
Such was the impact of his knock that KSCA Secretary XI took the innings lead, despite Mumbai compiling a total well in excess of 400. It has to be also observed that India cricketer, Shardul Thakur, was a part of Mumbai’s attack.
“About that 300, I have no words to say,” remarked Sisodia. “It just kept happening, I was connecting everything that day. It was just flowing. I had another innings that I played against Mumbai in the Thimmappiah tournament, the red-ball tournament. We were playing the quarterfinal, we were pursuing about 500 runs. I got 188 (187) and we won the game. That was also a very nice innings, I cherish that innings. From there I got a call-up for the Ranji Trophy, this was something special.”
Sisodia also has been a consistent performer in the Maharaja Trophy, having notched up over 300 runs in a couple of seasons. One of the highlights of his efforts in that tournament was a hundred versus Hubli Tigers last year. The essence of his innings was the way he handled the spinners – picking the length early to use the depth of the crease, alongside essaying slog-sweeps.
There was much more to that knock than just bland description. “About that knock in the Maharaja Trophy, the hundred I got, there is a story behind it,” explained Sisodia. “I didn’t have a great start to that tournament. There were so many negative things going around like ‘he can’t get runs’, this and that. It is very special because as soon as someone says you can’t do it, the next day, you wake up, put all the effort and make it happen. Basically, you prove yourself wrong, and show it to yourself that you can do things that people think you won’t be able to do.”
Despite all the setbacks, Sisodia has continued to chisel out his game in order to upgrade his batting and wicket-keeping skills. “I had to really work hard on the mental side of the game, like improving my game awareness and reading situations better,” he said. “Of course, (improving) skills is a never-ending thing, you have to always keep learning. Every session I practice, or play, I learn a lot of things. I have been working on a lot of shots as well. Looking to play clean cricket, of course – the reverse sweeps, the scoops and all that. Basically, shots all around the ground, 360 degrees.
“Last year, I got a nice diving catch off Kaverappa, that is a very good memory. There have been times when people said, ‘Luvnith doesn’t keep well, his keeping skills are bad’. Then you go out and do good things in a live game, it feels like all your hard work has paid off.”
All the above-mentioned setbacks also make you wonder about the kind of support he might have received from his family. Luvnith talks glowingly about his parents – Sujith and Sunitha Sisodia. “I wouldn’t have been here if not for my parents,” he said. “A lot of relatives used to say, ‘What is cricket? Billions of people play it. What will he do? Make him study.’ But my parents used to always speak to me and ask what I really wanted to do. They were always behind my back. I can’t express it in words, just pure support from them.
“Back then, I used to eat good food. Once my mum said, ‘this is too healthy for you.’ She put me in a sport, so that I would move around and all that. She put me in a skating class. I didn’t really like skating afterwards. So, there was a cricket ground behind my house called the Central College Cricket Ground. My mum just enrolled me in a camp. From there, it just started. Within one year, I represented Under-14 for Karnataka.”
At just 24, Sisodia has already navigated his share of ups and downs. However, he seems to have found a way to maintain his composure. Outside of cricket, playing video games with his Karnataka teammates is one of his go-to options to keep himself refreshed. “I like to watch movies, spend some time with family and close friends. Of late, I have been playing a lot of PUBGs with the Karnataka teammates,” he said. “So, I, Manish (Pandey) and the rest of them play a lot of PUBGs.”
KKR’s fans and the think tank would be hoping for Sisodia to blend his sparkling batting with a touch of calmness at Eden Gardens. Also, they will keep their fingers crossed and wish for destiny to smile on the talented cricketer. Sisodia signed off with the following words. “It is a great feeling to be a part of such a lovely franchise,” he said. “I will give everything that I have for the team’s goals and for the betterment of the team, for just making the team win.”