Sunny Kumar Singh banks on TNPL to reach 'next level'

When the inaugural Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) began, there were rumours that the likes of Hardik Pandya and Piyush Chawla could be a part of the competition. In the end, the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) decided not to field any outstation players, at least for the first edition. In a tournament consisting of only the local players, one name from the high-flying Dindigul Dragons squad stood out.

With wickets in almost every single game, Sunny Kumar Singh made a big impact and helped his side become the first team to seal their passage into the semifinals. While the locals in Dindigul and Tirunelveli, who watched him play live, might have popularly believed him to be an outstation player judging by his name, Sunnyis quite famous in the Chennai cricketing circle, having already made his Twenty20 debut for the state five years ago in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. "The first game I played in that tournament is the most memorable moment for me," Sunny tells Cricbuzz. "We played against Andhra (Pradesh) at Chepauk. I had a decent game, took two wickets, but with the bat I scored just five or six runs."

Born in the Koderma district in Jharkhand, Sunny moved to Tamil Nadu at a very young age and did his schooling, under graduation (in Guru Nanak College) and his post graduation (in SRM university) in Chennai. "Basically, my father came here first. After a few years, he got us here as well. I came in 1994. I've been here for 22 years now. I did my schooling and college here."

Anyone migrating from the northern parts of India to Tamil Nadu will find it difficult to adapt to the local culture with the language being the biggest obstacle. That wasn't the case with Sunny though, who found the transition easier. Speaking in fluent Tamil, he fails to recall when he managed to master the language. "Actually, see, first of all, we were in school, so we easily learnt the language, me and my siblings," he says. "My father and mother still struggle to speak in Tamil though. They don't go out very often, but we learnt easily in school, we ourselves aren't sure how we learnt, it just happened easily for us."

The 27-year-old who had always been interested in the sport, now concedes that bowling is his strong zone despite being a useful batsman in the lower middle-order in his earlier days. The right-arm seamer is also very candid while admitting that he is suited for limited-overs cricket, and reveals he never had any role models while growing up. "I am a T20 and a one-day player," he remarks. "To be very frank, I didn't have any role models. I followed all the players. Some say, their role model is MS Dhoni or Rahul Dravid, but I loved everyone, whoever played well, I followed them."

The performance that really rocketed him into contention for the state side in 2011 came in the Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup tournament. Representing TNCA XI against Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) XI in the semifinals, Sunny had an outstanding game with both bat and ball. After picking up four wickets in the first innings, he scored a crucial half-century that helped his team gain a 55-run lead. And then chasing 245 for victory, he came in at a precarious stage - with his side six down for just 83 on the board. What followed thereafter was a blitz that Sunny says he will never forget in his life. He hit seven sixes and helped TNCA XI seal a thrilling one-wicket win.

"I played for ICF, first division team, performed well and then got selected for Moin-ud-Dowlah", he recalls. "In the semifinals, I scored 87 runs and took four wickets. That is one innings I will never forget, it was totally different because we lost six wickets, needed around 120 runs (160) in 25 overs and won the game from that situation and that helped me get selected for the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament I think."

After showing plenty of promise at the age of 22, Sunny's journey took a hit as he hasn't played another game for Tamil Nadu for almost five years now since his last appearance against Kerala. The bowling all-rounder is determined to get back into the scheme of things and is currently happy to be a part of the TNPL, which he feels is another platform for himself and the rest. "It's a very good tournament, good for youngsters, because whoever performs well, can go to the next level," he says.

"I am not thinking too far ahead, just focussing on doing well in the TNPL. I just want to perform here and reach the next level." With the need for seam bowling all-rounders always on the rise, Sunny can keep his hopes high. Having picked seven wickets already in the tournament, another good showing in the knockouts could just catapult him back into the state team.