He took three four-wicket hauls in UP T20 League 2025.
The Rajasthan Royals (RR) net bowler hit headlines after his blazing performance in the recently concluded UP T20 League 2025. Naman Tiwari took 19 wickets in 10 matches for Noida Kings, becoming the third-highest wicket-taker in the series.
The start of Tiwari’s career was like that of most of us who’ve dreamt of playing competitive cricket. He grew up in a humble household. His father, an LIC Agent, wanted little Naman to focus on academics. But the little boy had a point to prove.
He borrowed three years from his father and his family, and he ensured that no one stood disappointed after his intuitive decision. He recently returned from South Africa after playing the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2023-24. His tally includes 12 wickets from six games, with an impressive economy of around five, and two four-wicket hauls, which hit the headlines in his home town too.
There’s a version of all of us in Naman Tiwari. And he draws a lot of inspiration from Shoaib Akhtar, Dale Steyn, and Mitchell Starc. He regularly follows their speed, swing, and aggression to inculcate the same in his game. But he also credits India’s superstar bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, for all the learnings so far.
“Bumrah is a source of inspiration. I watch his bowling videos a lot. I have met him several times at the NCA and talked to him a lot about the mentality and skills of a bowler. He explained to me how to bowl accurate yorkers, and I have worked a lot following his advice,” Tiwari told PTI Bhasha.
While Bumrah trains his successor, Tiwari’s dreams are not a child’s play. Honing a rare breed of bowlers, left-arm pacer, Naman Tiwari is aware of the road ahead, and looks self-motivated in fulfilling them.
“One day I want to bowl the fastest ball in the world. I also want to play the World Cup with the senior team. But, for now, I have to focus on performance. I want to continuously improve my game because the challenges will be even bigger in the future. I want to become a good Test cricketer in the future.”
You might want to read the last sentence again. Because while playing in Tests could be a dream for another tomorrow, Naman Tiwari is earning his name in T20 cricket. In fact, with a background of being a net bowler for the Rajasthan Royals, he could very well earn a contract in the upcoming IPL 2026 auction.
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In the 10 matches he played, the 19-year-old had an average of 16.26 as he took three four-wicket hauls. He grabbed the Player of the Match award for his spell of 4/22 against Kanpur Superstars, including the wicket of Sameer Rizvi.
The pacer’s first four-fer came in the tournament opener for Noida Kings, against Lucknow Falcons. The Kings went on to win the match, however, Karn Sharma bagged the award for his dual role with the bat and the ball.
Speaking during the match, Naman Tiwari spoke about his preparations that led to success, “I simply executed the plans discussed earlier with the head coach and bowling coach. I think I tried my best to play simple cricket. I hit the right lengths.”
Overall, though Noida Kings could manage only four of 10 victories and ended in the penultimate spot on the points table, the rise of a rare breed of left-arm pacer is a huge positive for Indian cricket.
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