Navdeep Saini: Back from silence, still backing his pace

Navdeep Saini hasn't played an IPL game in nearly three years, but he's got new tricks to show off. "I won't tell you now," he teases. "You'll see it when I play next."

At the Eden Gardens on Monday, he was finally marking his run-up and getting hugs from his teammates (and opponents), two weeks into his replacement gig for Kolkata Knight Riders. An hour later, rain barged in and spoiled the night.

The last two years have been a series of such stop-start twists, but Saini trusts the KKR call-up is a new beginning. "It's the same feeling as getting selected for your first IPL," he tells . "I know sometimes (difficult) things happen in life, but you need to keep standing through it."

When Saini first caught the attention, pre-pandemic, he was a 150kph maverick breathing fire. For the longest time, he vowed never to compromise on it. And when he did, for the sake of his body, he didn't like how it felt. "I thought of trying it for some time, but I couldn't do it. That was not who I am. (Bowling fast) is how I played for India, reached my dream, followed it and achieved it. If I leave pace, then I can't go back.

Saini talks with a smile, but his voice also betrays the emotions of a difficult period. Two years ago, during a Ranji Trophy game for Delhi in Mohali, he dislocated his right shoulder after taking four wickets. Things have gone downhill since.

Opting for a full rehab rather than surgery, he took his time to recover. But when he returned the injury was on his mind, and a bland stint in the Delhi Premier League was the outcome. It was a disheartening experience for a bowler who had been part of the India A and Duleep Trophy setups before the injury.

Not being picked for the next Duleep Trophy in 2024-25 season was a further setback. "I was working so hard, performing for so many years. I told myself: 'This cannot happen.' Even when the DPL was on, I kept practising with the red ball."

Then, three days before the tournament, Mohammad Siraj picked up an injury. Saini came in, and collected the third-most wickets, behind current Test options Mukesh Kumar and Anshul Kamboj. Suddenly life was looking up.

The IPL 2026 opportunity is a similarly happy pivot for someone who has played more T20s than first-class or List A games. On his best days, he would rush batters for pace, bring out a mean yorker, and generate extra bounce.

In just his third T20I series for India, Gautam Gambhir, the current coach and a big support early in his career, said that Saini must make then-captain Virat Kohli feel like a millionaire. At that time, Saini was also in Kohli's IPL team on a multi-million-dollar contract.

He commanded a similar price for Rajasthan Royals until the 2024 auction, but the performances wavered. Across those three seasons, Saini took only six wickets in six games, an economy of over 12. Post injury, he was unsold in the IPL twice in a row.

But the "biggest shock" to him came when Delhi left him out of their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy squad. It threw a wrench in his comeback plans. "I said: 'How can this happen? Twenty-four boys are going.' I was just waiting for T20s. I had done all the hard work."

With no IPL gig either, Saini was in an abyss.

Not part of the 2024/25 SMAT, Saini earned a chance at the back end of the 2025/26 season. Desperate for some match time, he rues sitting out of five matches that had live telecast. "I personally feel IPL franchises look more closely at the live matches to see what is going on," he said.

In his first game in over two years, Saini returned with figures of 3-15 against Rajasthan. But it wasn't enough to secure an IPL spot ten days later.

Saini's KKR trial this year was his third one, having already being called for RCB and RR before the auction. He thought both trials had gone well, to the point of feeling that each was a done deal. But Saini found no takers at the auction, initially passed on and failing to make it to the accelerated round. "I said: 'Man, what happened?'"

Saini's wife, Swati Asthana, is an avid vlogger, and often puts up clips from their daily life on YouTube. On auction day, a clip showed their live reaction, the disappointment writ large on their faces.

"I was a bit shocked," Saini says. "At that time, I was sitting calmly on the sofa and watching. Nothing. I was still relaxed and told myself: 'No problem, whatever happens, happens for the best.'"

The next day, Saini was back to his routine. A big believer in manifestation, he kept waiting for another chance. "When you are chasing something, you do the same hard work from morning to evening. We are professional athletes. This is our work every day."

Each week, Saini would plan the course and frequency of his bowling sessions. He would do three or four bowling sessions a week, with two to three days of gym. That was until another call came.

This time,Saini was encouraged for a trial by Balwinder Singh Sandhu, KKR's support coach. But the bowler was still reeling from his double disappointment. "I said, ', I came last year too. It went well last time too, but it did not happen. Look, if you think you need a player, then I will come.'"

Balwinder assured him that the opportunity was good, even if he could not guarantee what would come of it. He also reassured Saini that he had seen some of his non-televised performances. Saini agreed to the trial, believing that this time he had genuinely manifested it.

He started practising with the team and felt he did well in the practice match. Then he found out that Harshit Rana and Akash Deep had picked up injuries. While feeling bad for them, Saini sensed a real opportunity to squeeze his way in. "If I have come till here, I'll go further as well," he thought, and the feeling was validated when he was officially named as a replacement.

At KKR, Saini is senior to two exciting Indian quicks in Umran Malik and Kartik Tyagi, both pace merchants with a history of injuries. He is still getting used to being a "mentor" while he vies for the same place in the side as them, but he has advice to share from his difficult experiences.

"I have seen it on social media, and in other kids as well: they should focus less on training and more on bowling. Nowadays, people feel that gymming is the way to make you bowl fast. It doesn't work like that. The more you bowl, the more you'll train and habituate your bowling muscles. To prevent injury, it can't be 80% training, 20% bowling. It can still be the opposite at 30-70."

Despite injuries and time away, Saini carries the same lean frame from his younger days. While he's grateful for his metabolism, he says even a natural ability is not sufficient to carry a fast bowler.

"You can bowl till 140-142kph with natural skill... but the route to 150kph, the last 7-10kph, takes a lot of hard work," he says. "(To maintain pace over the years) I have had to carry myself the right way, with the right combination of diet, sleep and training for a long time. When you are young, you get away with things. I knew from the start what I had to sacrifice to achieve my dreams."

At KKR, he has a new lease of life and is enjoying every bit of it. He loves the team bonding, the acceptance he received within the squad, and the advice passed on from the staff, including bowling coach Dwayne Bravo. "Whether I get selected or not is a different thing, but it felt like I belonged here."

Now, he is keen to make the most of the opportunity, with hopes of an India recall still firm inside. He still talks to Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj, teammates from that golden BGT batch. "I am doing everything for that (India cap). But I can't leap to the fifth floor directly. I'll take it step-by-step."

He still has a wolf tattoo on his arm, and still looks at it for inspiration when things are down. For now, he's hoping for a way up. Another chance to fling 150kph thunderbolts. Another chance to make it count.