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India’s Next T20I All-Rounder? Sai Kishore Smashes Fifty In TNPL Batting In Top 3
Follow UsThis was Sai Kishore’s first fifty in the TNPL in two years, with his last coming in the 2023 edition
The stocks of R Sai Kishore have been rising steadily over the last couple of years, and he had his best ever IPL season to date in IPL 2025, scalping as many as 19 wickets, the most by any finger spinner in the competition.
Sai Kishore, however, is also someone pretty capable with the bat, and it’s not a side we’ve seen in the IPL so far. However, his batting abilities have been unearthed in the ongoing season of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL).
On June 29 (Sunday), the IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans captain batted at No.3 and smashed his first fifty of the season, amassing 55 off just 34 balls. He then backed it up with 1/18 off his 4 overs with the ball. This was Sai Kishore’s first fifty in the TNPL in two years, with his last coming in the 2023 edition, off just 24 balls.
Sai Kishore started TNPL 2025 down the order but has batted at No.3 across Tiruppur’s last three matches. And he’s improved steadily, with scores of 10* off 6, 24 off 19 and 55 off 34.
The 28-year-old has not had many opportunities to showcase his batting skills in the IPL and in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Tamil Nadu, but impressive showings here in the TNPL could buy the attention of not just his IPL franchise Gujarat Titans (GT), but also the Indian side.
Already regarded as one of the best finger spinners in the country, a solid run with the bat could just earn Sai Kishore a few T20I caps ahead of the T20 World Cup next year, particularly with Ravindra Jadeja having retired from the format.
Image credit: TNPL website