Kottayam: As a youngster K K Hareesh Kumar used to play cricket with boys older than him in the dusty fields in and around the quaint hamlet of Kanakkary near Kottayam. Now, he is getting ready to play in the highly anticipated Indian Street Premier League (ISPL) T10 tennis ball cricket tournament.
Hareesh, an all-rounder, is one of the five players from Kerala to be part of the ISPL and the only player from Kottayam.
At the first-ever ISPL auction held in Mumbai on February 25, he was snapped up by Bengaluru Strikers owned by Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan.
Hareesh, an MSc student at the School of Chemical Sciences under Mahatma Gandhi University, started playing cricket at the age of 15 and learned the nuances of the game at the Kanakkary-based Eagles Cricket Club.
"I registered online for the auction and attended the trials held in Bengaluru and Mumbai. I was able to do well in the trials and make it to the final auction pool of 350 players. I also attended a practice match in Chennai ahead of the auction," said Hareesh.
At the auction, Hareesh was bought by Bengaluru Strikers for his base price of Rs 3 lakh.
Notably, Hareesh is also an accomplished footballer and was a member of the football team of the Kottayam-based Baselius College, where he pursued his undergraduation. Unfortunately, he had to quit football after sustaining an injury during a game. Thereafter, the youngster started concentrating on cricket, his first love.
