Kumar Kartikeya’s IPL story began the way few cricketers would choose. He went unsold at the 2022 mega auction, then watched as Mumbai Indians — who had seen him up close as a net bowler — signed him as a replacement when Mohd Arshad Khan was ruled out with an injury. Within days of joining the squad, he was dismissing Sanju Samson on his IPL debut at the DY Patil Stadium.
Since that debut, the slow left-arm orthodox spinner from Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, has played 16 IPL matches across three seasons for Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals, taking 12 wickets at an economy rate of 8.66. His domestic record is far richer: Kartikeya was Madhya Pradesh’s leading wicket-taker in their maiden Ranji Trophy triumph in 2021-22. The question for Kumar Kartikeya IPL stats going forward is whether the IPL door will open again, after he went unsold at the 2026 mini-auction.
Kumar Kartikeya IPL Stats Overview
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Kumar Kartikeya Singh |
| IPL Debut | 2022 (Mumbai Indians, vs Rajasthan Royals) |
| Role | Bowler |
| Batting Style | Right-hand bat |
| Bowling Style | Slow left-arm orthodox |
| Current IPL Team | None (released by Rajasthan Royals ahead of IPL 2026) |
| IPL Matches | 16 |
| IPL Runs | 12 |
| Highest Score | 6 |
| IPL Wickets | 12 |
| Best Bowling | 2/22 |
| IPL 2027 Team | Not officially confirmed |
| IPL 2027 Price | Not officially confirmed |
Who Is Kumar Kartikeya?
Kumar Kartikeya Singh was born on 26 December 1997 in Kuwasi, a village in Sultanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. His father, Shyam Nath Singh, is a police officer. As a teenager, Kartikeya moved to Delhi to train as a cricketer, working at a factory near Ghaziabad to support himself before his coach Sanjay Bhardwaj took him under his wing. He later moved to Madhya Pradesh, where his domestic career took off.
He made his domestic debut for Madhya Pradesh in 2018 across formats — List A against Saurashtra on 26 September 2018, first-class against Kerala that November, and T20 in March 2019. A tall, low-armed spinner, he bowls slow left-arm orthodox and can also mix in left-arm wrist spin. He was the architect of Madhya Pradesh’s first Ranji Trophy title in 2021-22, finishing as the team’s leading wicket-taker with 32 wickets, the second-most of any bowler that season. In the 2025 Duleep Trophy final, he turned the game for Central Zone with 4 for 53 against South Zone on the opening morning, earning praise for his patience and control.
Kumar Kartikeya IPL Teams
| Season | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Mumbai Indians | Signed as replacement player |
| 2023 | Mumbai Indians | Retained |
| 2024 | Mumbai Indians | Retained (did not play) |
| 2025 | Rajasthan Royals | Bought at auction |
| 2026 | — | Released by RR; unsold at mini-auction |
| 2027 | — | Not officially confirmed |
Kartikeya spent three seasons on Mumbai Indians’ books after arriving as an injury replacement in 2022. The franchise retained him twice, but he played no matches in 2024, and MI released him before the 2025 mega auction. Rajasthan Royals then picked him up at his base price of Rs 30 lakh. After four matches in 2025, the Royals released him again, and he found no buyer at the IPL 2026 mini-auction.
Kumar Kartikeya IPL 2024 Stats
| Batting | Value |
|---|---|
| Matches | 0 |
| Runs | — |
| Bowling | Value |
|---|---|
| Matches | 0 |
| Wickets | — |
Kartikeya was part of the Mumbai Indians squad in 2024 after being retained for Rs 20 lakh, but he did not play a single match all season. With the five-time champions rotating through Jasprit Bumrah, Gerald Coetzee, Piyush Chawla and Shreyas Gopal among their bowling options, the left-arm spinner spent the campaign on the bench.
Kumar Kartikeya IPL 2025 Stats
| Batting | Value |
|---|---|
| Matches | 4 |
| Runs | 3 |
| Highest Score | 2 |
| Bowling | Value |
|---|---|
| Overs | 8.0 |
| Runs conceded | 78 |
| Wickets | 2 |
| Average | 39.00 |
| Economy rate | 9.75 |
His only season for Rajasthan Royals was a quiet one. Picked up at his base price of Rs 30 lakh in the 2025 mega auction, Kartikeya played four matches and managed two wickets, with his economy rate climbing to 9.75. His last IPL appearance came in May 2025 against Mumbai Indians at Jaipur’s Sawai Mansingh Stadium, where he went wicketless. The Royals released him ahead of the 2026 season.
Kumar Kartikeya IPL 2026 Stats
Kartikeya did not play in IPL 2026. After being released by Rajasthan Royals, he went unsold at the IPL 2026 mini-auction. He kept himself in the public eye through domestic cricket instead — most notably with a hat-trick inside figures of 6 for 24 in the Madhya Pradesh Premier League in June 2026, the first six-wicket haul of that season and the best figures after 41 games.
Kumar Kartikeya IPL 2027 Stats
IPL 2027 statistics are not available yet because the season has not started. Kartikeya is not attached to any franchise after going unsold at the IPL 2026 mini-auction, and he is expected to re-enter the auction pool. His 2027 team and price will be confirmed only if a franchise signs him at the auction.
Kumar Kartikeya IPL 2027 Team and Price
As things stand, Kumar Kartikeya has no IPL team for 2027. Rajasthan Royals released him before the 2026 season, and he went unsold at the 2026 mini-auction. His last IPL contract was with the Royals for Rs 30 lakh in 2025. Any 2027 team and price will be decided at the auction — franchises looking for a budget left-arm spinner with Ranji-winning pedigree could come calling, but nothing is officially confirmed.
Kumar Kartikeya IPL Career Batting Stats
| Mat | Inns | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 50s | 100s | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 4 | 12 | 6 | 3.00 | 70.59 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Kumar Kartikeya IPL Career Bowling Stats
| Mat | Overs | Runs | Wkts | BBI | Avg | Econ | 4w | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 47.0 | 407 | 12 | 2/22 | 33.92 | 8.66 | 0 | 0 |
Kumar Kartikeya IPL Stats by Year
| Season | Team | Mat | Runs | HS | Wkts | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Mumbai Indians | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7.85 |
| 2023 | Mumbai Indians | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 8.73 |
| 2024 | Mumbai Indians | 0 | — | — | — | — |
| 2025 | Rajasthan Royals | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 9.75 |
| 2026 | — | 0 | — | — | — | — |
Kumar Kartikeya IPL Highest Score
Kartikeya’s highest IPL score is 6, a reflection of his role as a specialist bowler who bats down the order. Across his 16 IPL matches, he has faced only a handful of deliveries, scoring 12 runs in total. His batting has never been a factor in his selection — franchises have picked him purely for his left-arm spin.
Kumar Kartikeya IPL Wickets and Best Bowling
His best IPL bowling figures are 2 for 22. Across 47 overs in the league, he has taken 12 wickets at an average of 33.92 and an economy rate of 8.66. His most promising start came in 2022, when he took five wickets in four matches at an economy of 7.85, but his returns thinned in 2023 and 2025, when his economy climbed to 8.73 and then 9.75.
Kumar Kartikeya IPL Batting Records
There are no meaningful IPL batting records to report — Kartikeya has scored 12 runs in four innings across 16 matches, with no fifties or hundreds. He is a specialist bowler, and his batting has not played any part in his IPL career.
Kumar Kartikeya IPL Auction Price History
| Season | Team | Price | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Mumbai Indians | Rs 20 lakh | Signed as replacement (not auctioned) |
| 2023 | Mumbai Indians | Rs 20 lakh | Retention |
| 2024 | Mumbai Indians | Rs 20 lakh | Retention |
| 2025 | Rajasthan Royals | Rs 30 lakh | Auction (base price) |
| 2026 | — | — | Released by RR; unsold at mini-auction |
He went unsold at the 2022 mega auction before MI signed him mid-season as a replacement for the injured Mohd Arshad Khan. The five-time champions retained him at Rs 20 lakh for the next two seasons, but after he sat out 2024 entirely, they let him go. Rajasthan Royals picked him up for Rs 30 lakh in the 2025 mega auction, then released him after one season. Details of the IPL 2027 auction, including dates and format, will decide his next move.
Kumar Kartikeya IPL Records and Achievements
- Second-most wickets (32) in the Ranji Trophy 2021-22 season; Madhya Pradesh’s leading wicket-taker in their maiden title win.
- Memorable IPL debut in 2022 for Mumbai Indians: dismissed Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson and finished with 4-0-19-1 at the DY Patil Stadium.
- Five wickets in four matches at an economy of 7.85 in his debut IPL season (2022), his best campaign.
- Turned the 2025 Duleep Trophy final for Central Zone with 4 for 53 against South Zone on the opening morning.
- First six-wicket haul of MPPL 2026 — 6 for 24 including a hat-trick — the best figures of the season after 41 games.
Kumar Kartikeya’s IPL Performance Analysis
The numbers tell the story of a bowler whose IPL opportunity shrank as his economy drifted. In 2022, Kartikeya looked like a genuine find: five wickets in four games at 7.85 runs an over, including that debut dismissal of Samson, suggested Mumbai Indians had unearthed a useful left-arm spinner to rotate alongside the likes of Rohit Sharma‘s frontline options. But 2023 was a step back — the same five wickets took eight games and cost 45.40 apiece, and his economy jumped a full run. By 2024 he was not getting games at all, and the 2025 return at Rajasthan Royals (two wickets at 9.75) confirmed the slide.
The contrast with his domestic record is striking. In first-class cricket he has over 200 wickets at an average around 22, and his Ranji Trophy 2021-22 season remains one of the great recent spin campaigns. In the IPL’s shorter, flatter format, though, his lack of variation at pace has been exposed, and franchises have increasingly preferred wrist spin or express pace. At 28, he is far from finished — the MPPL 2026 hat-trick showed the hunger is there — but his next IPL contract, if it comes, will have to be earned at the 2027 auction after two straight releases and one unsold listing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Kumar Kartikeya’s bowling style?
He is a slow left-arm orthodox spinner, and he can also bowl left-arm wrist spin.
Which IPL teams has Kumar Kartikeya played for?
Mumbai Indians (2022 to 2024) and Rajasthan Royals (2025). He was released by RR before the 2026 season and went unsold at the 2026 mini-auction.
How many wickets has Kumar Kartikeya taken in the IPL?
12 wickets in 16 matches, at an average of 33.92 and an economy rate of 8.66.
What are Kumar Kartikeya’s best IPL bowling figures?
2 for 22, his career-best figures in the league.
When did Kumar Kartikeya make his IPL debut?
In April 2022, for Mumbai Indians against Rajasthan Royals. He dismissed Sanju Samson and finished with 1 for 19 in four overs.
What was Kumar Kartikeya’s IPL auction price?
His last IPL contract was with Rajasthan Royals for Rs 30 lakh in the 2025 mega auction. He went unsold at the 2026 mini-auction.
Which team will Kumar Kartikeya play for in IPL 2027?
Not officially confirmed. He is not attached to any franchise and is expected to re-enter the auction pool for IPL 2027.
What is Kumar Kartikeya’s biggest domestic achievement?
He was Madhya Pradesh’s leading wicket-taker with 32 wickets in their maiden Ranji Trophy title win in the 2021-22 season.
Sources and Data Notes
Season statistics and auction details were cross-checked across the official IPL site (iplt20.com), ESPNcricinfo, CricTracker, CricketAddictor, SportsTak, and the Rajasthan Royals official retention announcement. Statistics and player information are checked against available reliable sources and may be updated as new IPL matches, transfers, or official announcements are confirmed.
Statistics updated through: 15 October 2026
