International career
Kumar Kushagra started playing at the international level after performing well in junior cricket. His skills with the bat and behind the stumps helped him get selected for India's youth teams. Below is a breakdown of his key moments year by year:
- 2019 – Kushagra scored 535 runs in 7 matches in the U19 Vinoo Mankad Trophy. He finished as the highest run-scorer in the tournament, even though the Jharkhand team did not reach the final. National selectors noticed his performance.
- 2020 – He joined the India U19 squad for the ICC U-19 World Cup. At 15 years old, he was the youngest player in the team. In a match against Japan, he scored 13 off 11 balls and helped India win by 10 wickets. The team reached the final but lost to Bangladesh.
Leagues Participation
Kumar Kushagra mainly plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). His first season in the tournament was in 2024 with Delhi Capitals. In 2025, he joined Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He is known as a wicketkeeper-batter and aims to prove himself in the league.
Indian Premier League
Delhi Capitals bought Kushagra for INR 7.2 crore in the 2024 auction. His first match was on April 7, 2024, against Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. He got out without scoring, dismissed by Gerald Coetzee.
|
Year
|
Team
|
Price (INR)
|
Matches Played
|
Notable Performance
|
|
2024
|
Delhi Capitals
|
7.2 crore
|
4
|
IPL debut vs Mumbai Indians
|
|
2025
|
Kolkata Knight Riders
|
3 crore
|
TBD
|
Signed in mega auction
|
Before the 2025 season, Kolkata Knight Riders signed him for INR 3 crore in the mega auction. KKR often invests in young talents, and this year could be important for Kushagra as he looks to secure a permanent place in the team.
Domestic career
Kumar Kushagra started his cricket journey at the Bokaro Cricket Coaching Academy. He joined the Bokaro District Under-14 team in the 2014-15 season. At 12, he was selected for the Jharkhand Under-16 team. From there, cricket became his main focus. He had a breakthrough in 2016 with his performance in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy.
In 2021, Kushagra started playing professional cricket for Jharkhand. His first List A match was on February 20, 2021, in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. In the same year, he debuted in T20 cricket on November 4, playing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. In that tournament, he scored 111 runs in 6 matches. His first-class debut was on February 24, 2022, in the Ranji Trophy.
During the 2022 Ranji Trophy, Kushagra scored a double hundred against Nagaland. This made him the youngest batsman to score more than 250 runs in a single innings, breaking a record set by Javed Miandad. In the 2022 Deodhar Trophy, he was the sixth-highest run-scorer, with 227 runs in 5 innings and a strike rate of 109.13. He played a key role in the final against South Zone, scoring a half-century, even though East Zone lost. It was during this match that he learned about Delhi Capitals’ interest in him.
In the Vijay Hazare Trophy of 2022-23 and 2023-24, he scored 275 runs and 164 runs, respectively, while playing as a top-order batsman.
Kushagra has played 19 First-Class matches, scoring 1245 runs with an average of 40.16. His highest score is 266. In List A, he has played 23 matches, scoring 700 runs with an average of 46.66. His highest score is 98. He has also played 15 T20 matches, scoring 143 runs, with a highest score of 33.
Records and achievements
Kumar Kushagra has set impressive records in domestic cricket.
- Highest Score in First-Class Matches: 266 runs in March 2022 during the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals.
- Highest Score in List A Matches: 98 runs across 19 games.
- Highest Score in T20 Matches: 33 runs in 14 games.
Personal life
Kumar Kushagra was born on October 23, 2004, in Ramnagar, Bokaro, Jharkhand. As of 2023, he is 19 years old and his zodiac sign is Libra. He went to Loyola School, Jamshedpur, and now studies for a bachelor's degree in arts at Kolhan University. From a young age, his father encouraged him to take an interest in sports. By the age of 2-3 years, Kumar’s father would take him to sports academies, even though Kumar couldn’t formally join at that time. His father believed in letting him learn by watching other players. This laid the foundation for his love for cricket, which soon became his main focus.
Family
Kumar's family is very supportive of his career. His father, Shashikant, worked as a district commissioner in the GST department, while his mother, Pushpa Devi, is a homemaker. He has a younger brother, Kalash, and a younger sister, Sara. His father guided him in cricket using books like ‘The Art and Science of Cricket’ by Bob Woolmer and technical guides from the National Cricket Academy (NCA), despite not having formal cricket coaching himself.
Financial Status
Kumar is still early in his career, but he is already earning well. In the IPL 2024, Delhi Capitals bought him for Rs 7.2 crore. He was also bought for 3 crore for the IPL 2025 season, which shows he is making a mark in cricket. While his exact net worth is not known, these contracts suggest a strong financial future.
Cars and House
There is no information available about the cars or house Kumar owns at this time. Given that he is just beginning his IPL career, more details may become available as he continues to rise in cricket.
Scandals
Kumar has stayed out of any major controversies. His career has been focused on his skills in cricket, and he has attracted attention for his performance. A special moment came when Sourav Ganguly, the team director of Delhi Capitals, told Kumar’s father before the auction that his son received advice from MS Dhoni, one of India’s best cricketers.
Fans
Kumar has gained a lot of attention on social media. He has 34k followers on Instagram, where he posts updates about his career and life.
