IPL 2026: LSG rising star Naman Tiwari opens up on cricketing journey, says 'I idolise Trent Boult'
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "IPL 2026: LSG rising star Naman Tiwari opens up on cricketing journey, says 'I idolise Trent Boult'")
IPL 2026: LSG rising star Naman Tiwari opens up on cricketing journey, says 'I idolise Trent Boult' Photograph: (AFP)
A member of the 2024 U19 Indian squad, which lost the final to Australia, Naman Tiwari has been in and around the junior circuit for a while. He played a key role in India reaching the U19 World Cup final in South Africa.
It has been a mixed start to the season for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as they have lost one and won one in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) so far. With plenty of work to be done, the team has been dependent on some of the best players in the country while also keeping an eye on the rising stars. One such name is Naman Tiwari, who made headlines after he was bought in the IPL 2026 auctions for a whopping INR 1 crore by LSG.
Who is Naman Tiwari?
A member of the 2024 U19 Indian squad, which lost the final to Australia, Naman has been in and around the junior circuit for a while. He played a key role in India reaching the U19 World Cup final in South Africa. His performances did not go unnoticed and was quickly snapped up by Rajasthan Royals and later by LSG as net bowlers.
While speaking on the JioStar show, ‘Dream On’, Naman opened up on his cricketing journey and how it began after struggles.
Question: When you were 12, your father's health got very bad. How much did that affect you? And what change did it bring to your mindset?
I am from a middle-class family. At that point, as I told you, I wasn't that serious about cricket, or leather cricket. But seeing the situation at home, I realised what I am doing. Like, there should be an aim in my life. And there should be a purpose. In studies, I was average, and I was playing just like that. So, time was just passing for fun. But then such incidents happened, such situations occurred, where I realized that, brother, now, I should do something and be a bit serious about life.
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Question: At 16, in 2021, you bowled at 135 speeds. How did life change from there? What was the reaction of you and the people around you?
Red Bull Speedster is a thing they conduct in every city, every state. So there, I was 16 and I bowled 135. So that was a very breaking point. From there, I was picked as a net bowler in RR's nets. From there, what real cricket is, those whom I used to watch on TV, I am sharing nets with them and talking. So that was quite helpful for me till now.
Question: Next year, RR picked you as a net bowler. Big name Trent Boult was there. You consider him an idol, too. What was the feeling?
As soon as Trent Boult got to know that I like him a lot, I idolize him. So, he gave me the name Mini Trent Boult there. Mini Trent Boult, we used to share nets together. We used to talk a lot. So that was a good bonding between Trent Boult and me. For a 17-year-old boy, if you are sharing an experience with Trent Boult and joking around, it's really meant for it.
