After IPL snub, Karnataka’s Abhinav Manohar making a strong statement as finisher

The IPL snub was a bitter pill to swallow for Abhinav Manohar, but he decided to take the cliched route – to maximise things which he could control –  for salvation.

After a low-key performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, by his standards, Abhinav has struck a purple patch as a finisher in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy cricket tournament, scoring 172 runs from 94 balls with a strike rate of 182.9, and is yet to be dismissed. His vital contribution as a finisher has been one of the reasons for Karnataka’s unbeaten streak in the tournament.

Abhinav delivered the finishing punches when Karnataka was chasing a record target of 413 against Jharkhand in the opening match. He scored an unbeaten 52 off 32 balls and added a crucial 88 runs with debutant Dhruv Prabhakar (40 n.o.) to take his side to victory. 

In the last match against Tripura, Abhinav played another impactful innings, underlining his utility at number six. Arriving at the crease at the fall of K.L.Rahul’s wicket in the 38th over, Abhinav notched an unbeaten 79 off 43 balls, laced with six fours and four sixes, which enabled Karnataka to plunder 125 runs from the last 12 overs

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“The IPL auction took place when I was playing the SMAT. It was disappointing not to be picked, and it affected my batting, resulting in a below-par show,” said Abhinav.  

“Sometimes you don’t understand the dynamics of the auction. This season, I guess the IPL teams wanted fast bowlers more than finishers.

But I have moved on and decided to do well in areas that I can control. I am happy that I have done well in this tournament and contributed to the team.  It is not a statement against anyone in particular. I have the backing of the team management, and they know my worth as a finisher. I am pretty experienced in choosing the time and bowlers to attack in the death overs,’’ he said.

Abhinav, who made his Ranji Trophy debut in the 2024-25 season as a 30-year-old, is happy that he is playing all formats for Karnataka and is trying to make up for the lost years.

He is disappointed that he missed out on his maiden First Class century narrowly this season and hopes to reach the landmark soon.

“Except for SMAT, I think I have done pretty well this season. Though white ball cricket is my strength, I am  happy to be an all-format player for Karnataka. I guess I was one of the oldest players to make the Ranji Trophy debut for Karnataka in recent times. It was a bit disappointing to miss out on my maiden First-Class hundred this season. I hope I will be able to end that wait soon,’’ he added.

Published on Jan 05, 2026