By Adarsh Chauhan
Hubballi (Karnataka) [India], June 30 (ANI): Smaran Ravichandran opened up about his time with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, describing it as a valuable learning experience, saying it broadened his understanding of the game and inspired him by the team’s fearless approach.
Smaran, who is currently captaining the Shivamogga Yodhas in the Maharaja Trophy 2026, featured in six matches for SRH during the 2026 IPL season. Although the left-handed batter had a modest outing, scoring just 19 runs across four innings, he said that sharing the dressing room with players such as Ishan Kishan, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Pat Cummins and others was a valuable experience that broadened his understanding of the game.
Speaking to ANI, Smaran said, “I think it was a great experience just watching them go about the way they play. It really opened up my viewpoint of the game and the way they go about things and the way they represented their game and how they actually performed for the team when it mattered. It really inspired all of us to bat like them or just be like them. But yes, it was a very good learning experience for me. It was my first time playing in the IPL. It was something new, something that I got to learn from.”
“I obviously didn’t get off to the greatest starts in my IPL career. But that is always something to work on in terms of my T20 games and hopefully I can come back stronger next year,” he added.
Smaran enjoyed a standout Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season, finishing as the leading run-scorer with 950 runs in 14 innings at an average of 86.36. He also shared the Karnataka dressing room with India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul, who featured in four matches for the side.
Smaran said it was a great experience sharing the dressing room with KL Rahul, whom he described as a highly respected senior player who has consistently performed at the highest level for India. He added that Rahul’s return to play for Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy provided a significant boost to their batting line-up.
“It was great sharing the dressing room with him. He is someone that everybody in the country looks up to as a senior pro. He has played at the highest level and done well for India multiple times and proved himself time and again. And obviously, him coming back to Karnataka and showing up for the Ranji Trophy was a boost for us in the batting line-up,” he said.
Smaran said that conversations with KL Rahul about batting and other aspects of the game helped the Karnataka team reach the Ranji Trophy final. He added that their partnerships in the middle boosted his confidence and allowed him to play with greater clarity.
Notably, Karnataka reached the finals but faced a defeat to Jammu & Kashmir, who claimed their first-ever title.
“And just having interactions and conversations with him regarding batting and other things really helped us as a team to reach the finals. And we both actually had a couple of partnerships out there in the middle and we batted a couple of times. And probably just having him at the other end gave me a lot of confidence to go about my game in a more clear manner,” he said.
Smaran further said that Rahul also encouraged him to stay positive, attack the opposition, and put them under pressure from the outset.
“He always told me to stay positive and take on the opposition and put them on the back foot straight away. And that is something that I did in those two innings and that really helped me. So, one advice that I would probably take from him is always stay positive in the crease. Have that energy going, probably those two,” he said.
Smaran said Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara has been his cricketing idol since childhood. He added that although he did not get the opportunity to meet or interact with him during his time at SRH, he continues to look up to him.
“Right through when I was growing up, Kumar Sangakkara was my idol growing up. I didn’t meet him this year. I didn’t interact with him during my time at SRH. He is someone that I always look up to, and I love to have a conversation with him. So, he would be someone that is my cricketing idol,” he said.
Smaran-led Shivamogga Yodhas have endured a difficult start, sitting fifth in the six-team standings with only two wins from six matches so far. (ANI)
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