Manohar had a torrid time at IPL 2025 – managing only 128 runs in 9 innings ©BCCI/IPL
For Abhinav Manohar, the off-season was meant to be a breather. After a testing IPL with Sunrisers Hyderabad, he had imagined a short holiday to recharge before turning his focus to the domestic circuit, beginning with the Maharaja Trophy T20 in August. Instead, he spent those weeks at home, first laid low by jaundice and then a viral fever, watching the strength he had built over years slip away in a matter of weeks.
“I wanted to go for a holiday. But then I couldn’t do that because I felt sick. And the doctor said I can’t travel for about 45 days,” recalls the 30-year-old Karnataka batter in a chat with Cricbuzz, his voice carrying the weight of those difficult weeks. “So, I was at home. Trying to just get better. And because of that, I’ve lost a lot of muscle. As you can see on TV, I look a little different person. I’ve lost a lot of muscle.”
The timing couldn’t have been worse. After a challenging IPL 2025 season with Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he struggled to find his rhythm in a star-studded batting lineup, Manohar needed time on the field, not on the sidelines. What he got instead was forced stillness, the kind that tests not just the body but the mind.
“Back-to-back illnesses have taken a toll on my body. But that happens, I mean. I’m just focusing on getting fit now. Fit and healthy, basically,” he says with the pragmatic acceptance that defines his approach to cricket’s inevitable ups and downs.
It wasn’t the first time his journey had demanded resilience. Just three years earlier, Manohar had been living a very different script. In 2021, barely known beyond Karnataka cricket circles, he received a call that would change his life forever.
“I think it all started off the previous day when the coaches called me and said, I’ll make my debut the next day in the pre-quarters. So, I was excited about that,” he remembers. “And then when it came to the game, I didn’t really get a chance to think too much about it because we fielded first and then when it came to batting, I was sitting in the dressing room and a few wickets fell. So, I didn’t get to really process what was going on out there.”
Walking in at 60 for 4 while chasing 146 against Saurashtra, Manohar announced his arrival with an unbeaten 70 off 49 balls, smashing six maximums to guide Karnataka to a memorable victory. “So, just went in there to bat and then reacted to the entire situation and things fell in place.”
That debut knock wasn’t just about the runs, but the way they came. With Karnataka needing 86 off the last 11 overs, Manohar’s unbeaten 70 at a strike rate of 142.85 – laced with timely boundaries – showcased a temperament built for pressure. It was the kind of innings that turned heads. Within months, IPL scouts came calling. Gujarat Titans, assembling a squad for their inaugural season, saw in him a player who matched their template.
“It felt like a dream to be honest because for someone who’s been sitting at home and watching the IPL, actually playing the IPL and winning it, it felt like a dream come true. It was a dream season for me because my life changed completely that one year,” he reflects on that breakthrough 2022 campaign.
That year also brought lessons. In a dressing room full of champions, he found himself absorbing wisdom that would serve him later.
Manohar’s time at GT proved to be one of great learning ©
“I picked up a few points from Hardik [Pandya] where he said that your mindset has to be the same – whether you’re ahead or behind, just try and keep a straight mindset,” Manohar recalls. “And from Rashid [Khan], I picked up how you can back yourself when you’re under the pump.” These lessons weren’t mere platitudes; they were practical tools for survival in the unforgiving world of professional cricket, as he would find out in 2025.
When Manohar moved to Sunrisers Hyderabad, he walked into a batting order stacked with overseas firepower and domestic specialists. Finding space and identity in such a line-up was never going to be straightforward. The franchise had clarity about his role, though – he was to be their designated finisher, the one to walk in late and turn tight games in their favour.
“From SRH, it was very clear that my role will be a finisher’s role. And we stuck to that. A few games, when wickets fell, I had to walk in a bit early. But in the entire season, they said, you are going to play a finisher’s role. So, I practised based on that,” he explains.
The finisher’s role in modern T20 cricket is perhaps the most specialised and pressure-laden position in the batting order. Bought by SRH for INR 3.2 crore at the 2025 Mega Auction, Manohar was expected to be their designated finisher. Instead, he managed only 128 runs in 9 innings at a strike rate of 125 – underwhelming returns for a natural six-hitter, and a sign of a season where momentum never arrived.
“It wasn’t the best season, but that happens. I mean, we’re playing a sport again today. We’re bound to have some bad games. So, that’s fine. I’m trying to practice what Hardik told me to do. I mean, the same mindset. It’s easy when a player is not doing well to go into a shell and to start. To back yourself, basically. So, I think I’m just going to back myself through it all.”
The support system at SRH proved crucial during this difficult period. “To be honest, all of them backed me. Players like Ishan [Kishan], Abhishek [Sharma], they all helped, because it happened to them as well. Everybody’s been through a tough patch. No one’s had a green patch all their life. So, this is the patch. It’ll pass. But try and have fun and enjoy the moment,” he says.
Nothing defines Manohar’s idea of fun quite like clearing the ropes. He was the top six-hitter in the Maharaja Cup in 2022 and 2024, with as many as 57 of them coming in the 2024 edition. That ability, which drew scouts to him in the first place, has been with him since his early cricketing days at the Karnataka Institute of Cricket.
Manohar was the top six-hitter of in the 2022 and 2024 editions of the Maharaja Trophy ©KPL
“It (six-hitting) just became very natural to me. From a young age, I’ve been able to do it. And I realized that that is my strength. And I decided to go with it and not change my batting,” he explains. “I started at KIOC at the age of 8. And then I was there for approximately (till) the age of 24-25. Then I left for a bit. And then, I’m back there now.”
Meanwhile, understanding the nuances of middle-order batting in T20 cricket requires both technical skill and tactical awareness. “I think it comes with experience. I’ve been doing it for the past 4 years now. And you just know in what situation, what shot to play. Sometimes you do make mistakes. But then, each game is a learning curve. And you can learn from that and try not to make the same mistake in the next game.
“And also, being a finisher, you don’t really tend to do it every game. And that’s why I said, to be on my side, the game is very important. Sometimes you learn that as well. And when it comes to finishing games, I’ve practiced a lot on my shots, over the past few years, which has helped me. So, I just keep doing that. And practice a bit of all-round batting as well.”
When circumstances require him to bat earlier in the innings, Manohar relishes the opportunity. “To be honest, I think when I go on to bat a bit early, I enjoy that. Because I get more time for myself. And I can take my time to settle down.”
This year’s Maharaja Trophy wasn’t just another tournament; it was Manohar’s way back after illness and a difficult IPL season, a platform to rebuild form and confidence. “I started training about 2 or 3 weeks ago. Basically, I started lifting (weights), 20% of what I was lifting earlier during the IPL. And then, when it comes to batting also, I haven’t…I mean, I didn’t hold a bat for about 45-50 days. It takes a bit of time to come back as well as the match confidence. So, just using the Maharaja as a platform to get that confidence back. And to be in perfect form during the season now.”
But his ambitions stretch beyond white-ball cricket. “So, I just spoke to the Ranji coaches recently, and I’m very much interested in playing the red-ball. But it all depends on the next tournament coming up, the four-day format tournament. If I do well there I’m sure I’ll start out this year. And I’m sure I’ll get a chance to move ahead as well.”
He knows the switch won’t be easy. “It is quite hard to switch from T20 to red-ball. In longer formats, it’s more about the mind – about shot selection. That’s the only thing I work on. I tend to leave the ball a lot, which adds pressure on the opposition. But I have the backing of the coaches too – if the ball is there to be hit, you go for it. The challenge is stopping yourself from playing a certain shot at the wrong time.”
The standout knock is yet to come, but Manohar has shown steady progress in the current Maharaja Trophy. As he rebuilds from illness and a difficult IPL, the goals are clear but not overwhelming. “My short-term goal is the red-ball hundred. Long-term goal is to do well in the IPL,” says Manohar, whose current focus is on “staying fit and healthy, keep backing myself, and enjoy the game.”
© Cricbuzz
