New Delhi: At 6 feet 5, RC Kishore brings a unique pace and relentless accuracy to the crease. Coming off an impressive IPL-2025 campaign where he bagged 19 wickets in 15 matches for Gujarat Titans, the Tamil Nadu left-arm spinner finds himself waiting for an opportunity in the early stages of IPL-2026.Despite missing out on the playing XI so far this season, the 29-year-old has been prominently on the ground, putting franchise goals ahead of personal ambitions. Go beyond limits with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!“Cricket is not an individual sport, it is a team sport,” Sai Kishore told TOI in an exclusive interview provided by Gujarat Titans on Tuesday. “So, at the end of the day, you celebrate when you win the trophy, celebrate when you win. IPL. Therefore, the team always comes first in all decisions. And as a leader myself, I should understand this more than anyone else. As much as you are disappointed that you are not in the playing XI at the moment, remember that the team comes first and whenever the conditions are right to play more spinners, I will get the opportunity.”With 32 IPL wickets to his name, Sai Kishor knows that a T20 game depends on a lot of conditions. Earlier in the tournament, flat surfaces have always favored the batsmen and will continue to do so in IPL 2026 as well, but the veteran spinner expects a change.
“IPL is a very dynamic tournament. How the tournament unfolds, how the wickets are playing, all these things are important factors in getting the combination right,” he said. “The team always comes first, and whenever the wickets start to deteriorate, when the heat is on, slowly but surely the spinners will come in. Not just for Gujarat Titans, but in the entire tournament. If you look, not many spinners have been able to change the game yet. It is basically batting friendly now.”For a spinner, maintaining control over the flat track that ends up in the IPL requires a delicate balance between runs and wickets. “Character definition” from the franchise certainly makes this narrow path much easier.“My role is clearly mentioned and that is to provide control to the captain,” Sai Kishore said. “It becomes easier for any player to play to their full potential when character is mentioned.”When it comes to executing this control, he relies heavily on reading the game dynamically rather than sticking to a rigid script. “A lot depends on player to player, situation to situation. What situation you are in, what you are trying to do. Let’s say if a batsman is very determined, you want to get him off strike, be more defensive about him. Someone is new at the crease, you try and get his wicket. It all depends on your decision-making skills, at that time, on that day, on that wicket. So, if you have that instinct, it’s easy to manage when to attack and when to defend.”In an era where T20 cricket is heavily driven by analytics and match-ups, Sai Kishore, who has previously captained Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket, believes numbers only tell half the story.“No matter what kind of data you follow, your instincts always come first,” he said. “Because, at that point, what you feel is what you’re going to do. Data is important, knowing the game is important, but at the same time trusting your instincts, your inner voice is what the game is about.”Sai Kishore has already tasted international success, making his T20I debut during India’s gold medal-winning run in 2023. Asian GamesWhere he famously claimed 3/12 against Bangladesh in the semi-final. However, he has not made it back into the Indian team in any format. Instead of obsessing over national call-ups, his philosophy revolves around self-improvement and “absolute” preparation.“To be relevant as a spinner, especially in India, you have to be able to handle all three aspects of the game. You have to be a brilliant fielder, you have to be decent with the bat, which is not an easy task. So, in wanting to play for the country, you naturally improve yourself to become a better cricketer.“I think I’ve just got to make my garden pretty. I’ve got to keep working on my game and being ready with the skill sets. And whenever the opportunity comes… not often when you’re completely ready, the opportunity comes. I think it’s going to happen,” he said.“Until then, I want to enjoy my game. I want to be very happy mentally, skillfully, emotionally, physically and everything.”
