Manvanth Kumar, 22, had set himself a goal in June: to make his Ranji Trophy debut in the 2026-27 season. He had envisaged a slightly longer route, hoping to earn his way into Karnataka's squad for the second half of the season through strong performances in the CK Nayudu Trophy, the BCCI's Under-23 competition.
But on October 5, a week before Karnataka's Ranji opener, came an unexpected nudge. Left out of the initial list of probables, Manvanth was asked by the selectors to pack his bags for Vijayawada. He had made the Ranji Trophy squad. And a week later, he made his debut against Andhra, scoring 13 and 44.
Now, three games in, Manvanth has emerged as one of Karnataka's few bright spots: he's second on their run charts with 274 runs in five innings, including a maiden first-class hundred from No. 9 against Saurashtra. Five of his six wickets, along with a 51, came in a match-winning fixture against Tripura last week to help Karnataka bounce back with an innings win after they conceded the first-innings lead to Andhra and Saurashtra.
Manvanth has elicited excitement within the state circles because he is a seam-bowling allrounder. He began as a top-order batter at the Under-16 level. That began to change at the Under-19s after he took a seven-for in a zonal fixture. He hasn't looked back since.
"That's when the real push to becoming a proper allrounder came," Manvanth tells Cricinfo ahead of Karnataka's fourth-round Ranji fixture, against Assam in Guwahati. "I realised that if I also had to be a bowler, I needed to start batting in the middle order. Until then, I used to open or bat at three."
The transition into a new role began getting noticed widely at the CK Nayudu Trophy, where Manvanth was among the top performers during their title-winning campaign in 2023-24. But a few months prior to that, he was the leading wicket-taker of the Maharaja Trophy in 2023, helping Hubli Tigers win the title by defending 12 in the final over.
Manvanth had an even greater role to play the following season. The final went into three Super Overs, and Manvanth was involved with both bat and ball, reflecting the responsibility his team placed on him. Manvanth was Player of the Match for his 15-ball 28 with the bat, and 4 for 33 with the ball. He finished among the tournament's top five wicket-takers for a second successive season.
"The Maharaja Trophy [in 2023] was when I first met [R] Vinay [Kumar] anna," Manvanth says. "He knows what I can do. When I bat, he tells me my success rate is lower when I defend. My game works best when I show intent and look to score runs. That's when I'm at my most confident. This is something Vinay anna drilled into me."
That mantra proved prophetic two weeks ago in only Manvanth's second Ranji game, when he struck his maiden first-class century against Saurashtra in Alur. Walking in at 187 for 7 on the opening day under leaden skies, with Jaydev Unadkat and Chetan Sakariya seaming the ball around, Manvanth scored 100 of Karnataka's next 113 runs.
He added 146 for the ninth wicket with No. 10 Abhilash Shetty. His 135 included 11 fours and six sixes as Karnataka rallied to 342 after which Saurashtra made 349. It wasn't enough to give them the lead, but he had showcased his temperament and vindicated Vinay's faith in him.
"Vinay anna has always been a big believer in me," Manvanth says. "I feel lucky to play under someone who backs you the way he has backed me. When I went out to bat against Saurashtra, his simple message was, 'As long as Karun [Nair] is with you, just give him that support. If he gets out, take charge and play the way you've always played'."
"Mohit [Sharma] sir told me, in T20s, you can't survive with limited variations. You need to keep reinventing yourself: yorkers, slower bouncers, knuckle balls. Every ball is an event. If you get hit off one ball, you still need to turn up and be ready to execute the next. You can't keep thinking about one bad ball or one bad over." Manvanth Kumar on being part of Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025
Last week, Karnataka bounced back to beat Tripura in Manvanth's hometown of Mysuru. He made an impact with the ball first, taking 3 for 23 as the visitors were bowled out for 194. Karnataka then lost wickets after taking the lead, and at 285 for 7, were still short of a match-winning cushion.
Manvanth made 51 to help lift them to 490 for 9 declared before returning to take two more wickets, including that of Manisankar Murasingh, Tripura's leading run-scorer and wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy history. It completed a match-winning all-round performance and helped Karnataka secure a bonus-point victory.
Manvanth's development as a bowler has also been shaped a bit from his brief IPL experience in 2025 when he was part of the Delhi Capitals bench. He felt he had made progress in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, but hadn't produced the sort of standout performances that usually attract attention.
"I didn't think I'd get picked. I thought I'd need another two years to become IPL-ready, but I got picked immediately," he says. "Even though I didn't play, I spent a lot of time talking to Mohit Sharma.
"Mohit sir told me, in T20s, you can't survive with limited variations. You need to keep reinventing yourself: yorkers, slower bouncers, knuckle balls. Every ball is an event. If you get hit off one ball, you still need to turn up and be ready to execute the next. You can't keep thinking about one bad ball or one bad over."
That approach has stayed with him. Vinay, too, has reinforced the importance of committing to a plan rather than second-guessing himself.
"Vinay anna too says stick to one thing. If you plan to bowl a yorker, stick to it. It doesn't matter if it's a low full toss and you get hit for six. Back your strengths, and it starts with having a clear plan at the top of your run-up."
Manvanth's performances have begun to attract attention beyond Karnataka, too. He recently attended trials with Rajasthan Royals just prior to the Ranji season. Scouts from a few other teams have looked up his numbers, and with SMAT 2026-27 beginning later this month, he'll have an opportunity to build on his T20 gains.
But ask him what comes next, and he is reluctant to look too far ahead. "The next match is the most important. It's the same one-ball, next-ball logic."