Shivam Shukla

If cricket were a symphony, Shivam Shukla would be that unassuming violinist, often in the background but the soul of the performance. A right-arm leg-spinner who can swing the momentum with the ball and a middle-order batter capable of crafting resilient knocks, Shukla has quietly carved a niche in India's cricketing heartland. He isn’t just another all-rounder—he’s a pressure-absorber, someone you’d turn to when chaos needs order.

Born in the historic town of Panna in Madhya Pradesh, Shivam’s early days were shaped not in elite academies but on barren school grounds and uneven pitches. It was in these formative years that his love for spin bowling took root—legs twisting like ropes on dustbowls, deceiving boys older and taller with flight and dip. He broke through the local circuits, turning heads with his precision and temperament in junior tournaments. Soon, the boy who spun tales in Panna was donning the colours of Uttar Pradesh in U-16 competitions, where he made headlines with figures like 3 for 10 in just six overs—an early sign of things to come.

From there, he slipped into the under-19 and under-23 setups like a seasoned craftsman. Not always the loudest performer, but always dependable, his ability to contribute in multiple departments made him an asset to every age-group team he played for. In many ways, Shivam was the perfect teammate: quietly effective, never flamboyant, and always available when the situation demanded calmness or flair.

It was in the domestic arena with Madhya Pradesh that his utility turned into influence. As T20 cricket bloomed in India’s heartland, Shivam’s variations with the ball and versatility with the bat helped him become more than just a squad player. A handful of standout performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy—including spells like 4 for 29 against Bengal and tight death overs against Saurashtra and Mumbai—saw him emerge as a reliable bowling option, especially in crunch games. These weren’t headline-grabbing spells, but they came when the team needed control and breakthroughs, and that’s exactly what Shivam offered.

In the longer formats, too, he quietly amassed impressive all-round stats. His dual skill set became crucial in Madhya Pradesh's Ranji campaigns, with a first-class batting average hovering over 40 and over 100 wickets to his name. Whether it was grinding out runs on green tops or exploiting tired batting lineups on turning tracks, Shivam’s cricketing mind rarely let the moment pass by. His most memorable innings was a fighting 86* against a dominant Karnataka side, where he single-handedly kept Madhya Pradesh in the game while wickets fell around him.

Despite such exploits, national recognition has been slow to arrive, perhaps a result of playing for a state not always in the limelight. Yet, franchise scouts have kept an eye on him. He has hovered on the fringes of setups, attending trials and warming benches, waiting for the break that his domestic form continues to demand. 

That moment finally came in 2025 when Kolkata Knight Riders called him up as a replacement for the injured Rovman Powell. Though KKR were already out of the playoff race, the selection was a reward for years of perseverance. Previously seen in the nets with Sunrisers Hyderabad under the mentorship of Muttiah Muralitharan, and known for spells like 4 for 29 against Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Shukla’s name had long been circulating quietly in IPL conversations. The KKR stint gave him a glimpse into the engine room of elite T20 cricket—an audition, perhaps, for bigger roles to come.

(As of May 2025)