Who is Abhinandan Singh… who made his debut in IPL without playing domestic cricket, know about the 'Raftaar King' of UP

New Delhi. The bugle of IPL 2026 has been sounded. Royal Challengers Bangalore played a big bet in their very first match. Uttar Pradesh fast bowler Abhinandan Singh made his IPL debut in the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. RCB head coach Andy Flower had already indicated before the match that young players like Abhinandan and Mangesh Yadav are at the forefront this time. Abhinandan Singh is originally from Uttar Pradesh. Although, he has not yet made his debut in domestic cricket (Ranji or Syed Mushtaq Ali) for Uttar Pradesh, but the echo of his talent started being heard in the corridors of IPL long ago. Abhinandan was first seen playing for Lucknow Falcons in the UPT20 league, where his precise line-length and pace impressed everyone.

The IPL journey of 28-year-old right-arm fast bowler Abhinandan Singh has been quite interesting. In the year 2024, he was associated with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as a net bowler. There he sharpened his edge by bowling to legends like Shreyas Iyer and Andre Russell. His hard work bore fruit in the 2025 mega auction, when RCB included him in their team at a base price of Rs 30 lakh.

Abhinandan did not get a chance to play a single match in 2025
Although, he did not get a chance to play a single match in the 2025 season, but the team management had faith in his talent and retained him for the 2026 season. RCB head coach Andy Flower had praised Abhinandan even before the start of the season. Flower saw him as a player who could turn the tide of the match. It is not easy for a young bowler to debut on the small boundary and flat pitch of the Chinnaswamy Stadium, but Abhinandan's strength is his 'variations', which can become a problem for the Hyderabad batsmen.

Will Abhinandan prove to be the X-factor?
RCB has always had a strong batting line-up, but bowling has often been their weakness. The arrival of a young and uncapped player like Abhinandan Singh can give a new balance to the team. Now it remains to be seen whether this UP boy can calm down the 'Orange Army' of Sunrisers with his speed amidst the noise of Chinnaswamy or not.