When flights were being cancelled across the country recently, Jharkhand legspinner Amit Kumar found himself right in the middle of the crisis. Fresh from the league stage of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he had been invited to trial with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), only for his flight to be cancelled.
At the time, it felt like a chance had slipped away. What Amit didn't know then was that SRH had been tracking him closely for a while. The missed trial did little to alter their assessment, and days later, they underlined that faith by signing him for INR 30 lakh at the IPL 2026 mini auction.
Amit is a familiar name among the net bowlers in Ranchi, called up each time an international match has come to the city in recent years. His quick legspin has impressed the likes of Keshav Maharaj, Glenn Maxwell and Pravin Tambe in the past.
On auction day, SRH bid up to INR 7 crore for Ravi Bishnoi, but couldn't go further. The only other legspinner in their squad is Zeeshan Ansari, who made for a fascinating story in IPL 2025 after many years in the wilderness. Now, they needed to strengthen their attack. Chances are, had they picked Bishnoi, Amit may not have got his chance. But luck was shining on him.
"My name came very late in the auction," Amit told ESPNcricinfo. "I was waiting for it to come earlier, but when it finally did, I turned off the live streaming. Then my room-mate Shubh Sharma came running in, shouting, and the calls started pouring in. He hugged me tightly. After that I don't remember much for a while.
"The path hasn't been easy, but I know everyone who reaches this level goes through something similar. My father never broke down in front of me, but when we spoke on a video call, his voice was choked. I just wanted to hug him."
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Amit's cricketing journey began after he moved from a farming set-up in Bihar's Hamirpur district to Ranchi in the neighbouring state of Jharkhand. Like many young Indians, he dreamt of becoming a cricketer after India's 2011 ODI World Cup triumph. He joined a local academy, but also simultaneously worked odd jobs to fund his cricket, assisting local groundsmen by laying mats, preparing pitches in district matches. It would fetch him INR 200 a day.
As his profile grew, several Jharkhand cricketers stepped in to help, notably Shahbaz Nadeem and Ishank Jaggi, saviours for talented cricketers in the state for a decade now. "If it wasn't for the support of my coach Muktesh Singh and people like Nadeem bhai, I probably wouldn't have reached here. Whenever I was mentally down, they kept reminding me that I had it in me to move forward."
Amit was invited for trials by three franchises: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Mumbai Indians (MI) and SRH. His hopes rose slightly after the RCB trials, where Dinesh Karthik spent considerable time talking to him.
"I filled the form, but I wasn't sure whether I would be picked at the mini auction," he said. "To be honest, I was a bit scared. During the RCB trials, Dinesh Karthik spoke to me at length. People there appreciated my bowling. Karthik sir told me what I could improve, but most of the discussion was around mindset."
Amit played in the Under-16s in 2017, the Under-19s in 2018, and later the Under-23s. This season, he picked up 17 wickets in seven matches at an average of 20.23 in the Under-23 competition.
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The year 2017 was particularly significant for Amit. India played Australia in a T20I in Ranchi, and a struggling Maxwell had specifically requested for legspinners as part of the net-bowling contingent. Amit impressed Maxwell there first, even earning his praise.
In 2019, after another net session, Maharaj called Amit and told him, "Keep working hard. The ball is coming out of your hand really well, and you're getting good turn at a decent pace."
Tambe, too, was full of praise after watching Amit bowl during the Legends League, where he was a net bowler during the Ranchi leg.
However, after 2019, Amit found himself getting fewer chances and grew frustrated. It was during this phase that Nadeem became a guiding presence in his life. He also received some advice from MS Dhoni, someone who Amit has bowled regularly to in Ranchi as well.
Amit said Dhoni told him, "Everyone must have told you that you are a good bowler, and that is true. You just need to remember what your strength is, who you are, and the process that brought you here. If you keep following that process, everything will fall into place."
Nadeem, meanwhile, thinks of Amit a "rare kind of legspinner".
"He bowls with good pace, his grip is slightly unique, and his googly is special and not easy to pick," Nadeem, currently Joint secretary at Jharkhand State Cricket Association, said. "Ever since I have known him, he has always been eager to learn. He has every skill needed to become a strong white ball bowler. If SRH work with him in the right direction before the next IPL season, he will definitely be seen playing matches. His skillset is the biggest reason."
This season, Amit is part of the Jharkhand side that has reached the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Being part of a title-winning squad there could be the start of something special, especially over the next few months.