Released by RR, unsold in IPL 2026 mini-auction, left-arm spinner bags 6/24 including hat-trick

Left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya wreaked havoc in the Madhya Pradesh Premier League (MMPL) 2026 fixture on June 22 with a six-wicket haul including a hat-trick. The Royal Nimar Eagles spinner’s six-fer helped his side bowl out Bhopal Leopards for 107 in the rain-curtailed 13 overs per side encounter. Eagles registered a comprehensive eight-wicket win, chasing down the target in 9.2 overs at Holkar Stadium, Indore.

Kartikeya bowls just one in powerplay overs

Kartikeya opened the bowling from the other end and dismissed Tanishq Yadav caught and bowled on the third delivery. He was hit for a six and four by Rahul Chandrol in the same over. The spinner was taken off the attack. When he was reintroduced, Leopards were 73/2 after eight overs. He struck twice in the ninth over, dismissing Himanshu Shinde and Ansh Bagadia.

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Kartikeya causes a collapse

In the 11th over, Kamal Tripathi hit him for a six. He followed it up with a hat-trick. His hat-trick wickets were Pawan Nirwami, Pranjal Puri and Anurag Malviya. Nirwani was dismissed stumped, Puri got bowled whereas Malviya was trapped lbw. In the next two overs, Leopards were bowled out for 107.

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Dubey goes berserk in run chase

In the run chase, Dharmesh Patel was dismissed cheaply by Puri for a 13-ball 15. Then, skipper Himanshu Mantri fell for a 17-ball 31 cameo to Yuvraj Nema. Kanishk Dubey unleashed carnage, hitting six sixes and two fours in his unbeaten 19-ball 51 as Eagles chased the target down with 3.4 overs to spare.

First six-fer of MPPL 2026

Kartikeya’s six wickets for 24 runs is the best bowling figures in the ongoing season after 41 games. Before him, only Parush Mandal and Shivam Shukla had bagged fifers.

Kartikeya’s IPL career

Kartikeya first registered himself at the auction in 2022. After going unsold in the mega auction, he was roped in by Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2023 for his base price of Rs 20 lakh. He made his IPL debut against Rajasthan Royals (RR), taking the wicket of skipper Sanju Samson. He conceded just 19 runs in his quota of four overs at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai. He played four games in the season, taking five wickets at 20.40 apiece. He conceded runs at 7.84 runs per over.

Kartikeya was retained by MI. He played eight games but managed to take just five wickets at an average of 45.40. He was released by the five-time IPL-winning franchise. RR roped him in for his base price of Rs 30 lakh in the mega auction. He played four games in 2025 season and managed to take just two wickets. His economy rate went up to 9.75 runs per over. He was released and went unsold at the mini-auction.