IPL 2021: 16-year-old Nagaland spinner Khrievitso Kense invited to Mumbai Indians for trails

Khrievitso Kense from Nagaland has become one of the few players who have been shortlisted for trials for the Mumbai Indians team. The young leg-spinner is the first player from the state to have caught the attention of a team in the Indian Premier League. The 16-year-old leg-spinner had impressed many with his bowling performances in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2020-21. 

The 16-year-old boy from Nagaland made his debut for the side in this edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He played four matches for his side and took seven wickets. His bowling average was 12.00 while the strike rate was 13.1. Against Mizoram, he produced his best figures when he took 3 for 16. His economy was 5.47 during those four matches, which is a great thing to have as a T20 bowler. 

Khrievitso Kense was spotted by Mumbai Indians’ official at the SMAT20 match

According to a report published by Eastern Mirror, the young boy had been approached by a Mumbai Indians official who had seen him bowl during the tournament matches, which had been held in Chennai. The young leg-spinner hails from a small village in Nagaland and has been excited since he got the call for coming over to the Mumbai Indians trials. If he enters the auctions and makes it to any of the IPL teams, it will be a huge moment for the Nagaland cricket team. He will also become the first player from the Northern Eastern teams to play the IPL. 

During the tournament, Kense’s side performed quite well. They were the best performing side from the North East. They were scheduled to play five matches in the tournament and they managed to pull off wins on four of those occasions. The other match against Chandigarh was abandoned due to rain. They finished only behind Bihar and Chandigarh in the Plate group. 

These are all good news for Northern Eastern cricket in general. The Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament has now gone into the business end. Tamil Nadu, Baroda, Rajasthan and Punjab have qualified for the semi-finals which will be played on Friday. The final will be played in Ahmedabad on January 31.