After playing alongside Virat Kohli at RCB, I started pushing myself more: Mandeep Singh [Exclusive]

Mandeep Singh happens to be one of the finest and most consistent cricketers in domestic cricket. However, the right-handed batter has only played three T20Is for India and is currently a free agent after leaving Tripura ahead of the 2025-26 season.

During an exclusive interview with CricTracker, Mandeep rued not performing better in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as it could have helped him get more chances in the national team. The 33-year-old also explained why he went to Tripura ahead of the 2024-25 season after ending a 15-year association with Punjab.

Mandeep also discussed the match fees in different first-class tournaments in India. However, the most intriguing part of the conversation was when he discussed the impact playing alongside Virat Kohli at Royal Challengers Bengaluru had on his career.

You had a sensational U19 World Cup run and later delivered huge numbers in domestic cricket. What do you think stopped you from securing a longer run in the senior India side?

There are a lot of things, not just one. I was in the team in 2017. I played in the Zimbabwe series. I was the highest scorer in that. I was a part of the two big series. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance in that. After that, I got injured. I had a back surgery after that. After that, I couldn't make a comeback in the Indian team. I feel that I have always been good at touchwood in domestic cricket. It's not like I have scored 1,000 or 1,100 runs in one season. It's not like that. But I have always had a consistent performance.

I have been doing well in all three formats. But I feel IPL is a big thing. You have to do well. If I had done better in IPL, I could have got a longer run. There are a lot of reasons not to do well in IPL. If I tell you in short and sharp, the mental side of the game was very heavy on me. I had made IPL a big thing in my career. I had to do well in IPL to come back in the Indian team. Because of that, ultimately, I used to spoil things. It doesn't help you. It spoils you.

You recently moved from Punjab to Tripura after 14 years in your home state. How did that decision come about, and what’s the next chapter looking like? 

Recently, I changed because I felt that they might not let me play white ball cricket. I felt that I should change. A year before, we won a trophy. Apart from playing in India, I always wanted to win a championship for Punjab. We secured that. After that, I was focused on winning the Ranji Trophy. You get hints from the association that they are not looking at me in white ball cricket. Personally, I wanted to do better in white ball cricket. I am doing well in four-day cricket. Honestly, my numbers were good in Syed Mushtaq Ali, but I wanted to do better in IPL cricket. I was 31 or 32 at that time. I felt that I was not at the right age to play all three formats. I have to play all three formats. That's the challenge.

I feel that as long as you are fit, you should keep playing. Sometimes, you are dragging your career. I don't think I was dragging my career. There is a way to see it. For example, there is a yo-yo test. In the yo-yo test, if the passing mark is 16.1, I am not stopping at 16.1 even at this age. Last year, I scored 18.1. This year, my aim is to score 18.2 or 18.3. I was doing that. That's when I felt that they are not looking at me. It's okay. The association can move on. That's the other side. In Indian cricket, when you are in your 30s, not only in Indian cricket, unfortunately, you are ignored in domestic cricket as well. I won't say that I regret it, but I feel that you should look at it from a different aspect. If the player's attitude is good, he is trying his best, he is fit, then he can still play.

You’ve played alongside and against many top Indian batters and bowlers in the IPL — which Indian opponent or teammate has pushed you the most and why?

That's a simple answer. Virat Kohli. I feel that I have a lot of intensity while practising. When I joined RCB for the first time in 2015, I saw Virat's intensity in practice. The intensity with which he was working hard in the gym, I felt that he was on the next level. Everyone does what they can do. After seeing him and staying with him, I started pushing myself even more.

Since you’ve played a lot of domestic cricket, can you throw some light on how much a domestic cricketer earns from the Ranji Trophy, VHT, SMAT, and other domestic tournaments? 

In the Ranji Trophy, I think the fees are based on a per-day basis. It is Rs. 40,000 per day. If you play for four days, it becomes Rs. 1,60,000. If you play one day, it becomes Rs. 40,000. For T20, I think it is Rs. 15,000-17,000 per day. I don't remember exactly. But BCCI has made a bracket. If you play 20 plus matches in the Ranji Trophy, then it will be Rs. 50,000 per day. If you play 40-plus matches, then it will be Rs. 60,000 per day. So, it is based on this. Obviously, based on the number of matches you play in a season, you will eventually earn money.

IPL is high-pressure, franchise cricket — what's the biggest takeaway you’ve had from your years with teams like RCB, KXIP, DC, and KKR?

According to me, the biggest thing you learn in IPL is that the environment of most of the teams is process-driven. You have to pay more attention to the process. You have to maintain a good atmosphere. Even when we meet the players, I can't forget when I used to play with Viru paaji. If Viru paaji used to get out early in the first or second ball, he used to come out and relax. He used to start singing songs. I never saw any tension on his face. So, I used to look at him and say, paaji, you don't take any stress. What is stress? This is a part of the game. You have to fail, you have to be successful. Today, I am out. Today, I didn't get a run on the first ball.

Tomorrow, I will hit a four on the first ball. Everyone will clap. So, what is there to worry about? Now, I will eat and drink. I will think about what I can do better. Then, move on. So, I think as a player, you start understanding this as early as possible. When you’re young, you often chase results, and mentally it can bother you. I’ve given many examples of Viru paaji because I’ve learned a lot from senior players. The team environment is also very important, as it influences how the best comes out of each player. In a process-driven team, I feel both the players and the team as a whole bring out their best.

Looking back, was there ever a moment you felt you were very close to a national recall? If yes, how did you handle the waiting and hope phases?

2019-20, I think, after the back surgery, I had a very good season. And I think, I had scored 700 runs in that season, in 8 matches, in Ranji Trophy. But it was more important than those 700 runs that in which conditions I had scored runs. In Kerala, I had scored runs on Turner wicket. We played here in Rajasthan, in Jaipur. It was a green wicket. We scored runs there. We scored runs in Patiala. So, everywhere, I was scoring runs in different challenging conditions. So, it was a very good batting.

And at that time, I got a call from the rest of India. I mean, my team had been selected. And the selector also called once in between after that season, that stay ready, that a name can be named in the test-fit team. And honestly, I mean, no doubt, we live in the ideal era. But all these years, I have always preferred red ball cricket. And maybe at that time, I was thinking that ultimately, my dream will be fulfilled. But unfortunately, that COVID happened. That rest of India match also didn't happen. After that, Red Ball Cricket also didn't happen. So, I think at that time, I was thinking that definitely, it was the first time of the test team. But maybe I can break in.

Who was your cricketing idol growing up?

Sachin Tendulkar. We all grew up watching him. And when we used to watch him on TV, when we used to bat, you are mesmerised the way he used to bat. And we grew up watching him. We used to listen to him. I still take inspiration from him. If you see, he played test cricket till the age of 40. And at that time, we used to stay in NCA. So, I remember Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, all of them used to work so hard in NCA.

They used to focus on their small things. At that time, fitness had just started. So, all of them used to focus a lot on fitness. And even batting wise, they used to work hard to improve small things. So, I feel that all of them are our idols. Because, till the time they have played cricket, they have seen how they can improve more. And how they can play cricket at this time.

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Any unheard moments you would like to share with us from your days with RCB alongside Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle?

No, it wasn’t an unheard moment. You must have seen my Bhangra with everyone — it was quite famous. A lot of things happened around it. Actually, I’ll tell you how the whole Bhangra thing started. Once, before the toss, I was warming up. By chance, AB de Villiers and I were in the dressing room, and some Punjabi songs were playing on Virat’s iPod. A really good track came on, and I did a couple of Bhangra steps. AB saw me and asked, “What is this? What kind of dance is that?” I explained it to him.

A couple of matches later, we won a game, and he told me, “Do that Bhangra again” That’s how it started. AB also told me something else - as a batter, you actually start peaking after the age of 28–29. If you look at most of the world’s best cricketers, apart from Virat Kohli, many of them peak after 28–29. I don’t know if I’ve shared this before, but at that time, I thought, “Isn’t he saying this a bit late?” Because here, we often wonder who will even play after 30. That’s the whole point, we think players can’t perform after 30, but that’s actually when many of them hit their peak. For example, Karun Nair is currently at his peak at around 33–34.