Krishnappa Gowtham is an Indian cricketer who plays first-class cricket for Karnataka. He was born on 20 October 1988 in Bangalore, Karnataka. Gowtham is a right-arm off break bowler and bats right-handed.
During a camp run by the Karnataka State Cricket Association, Gowtham met and worked closely with Indian spinner Erapalli Prasanna (KSCA). In the under-15 zonal competition, he took the second most wickets. The spinner has always loved the game and has put in some incredible performances for Karnataka over the years.
Career
Domestic
rishnappa Gowtham started playing cricket at a young age and entered the under-15 zonal tournament in Bangalore, where he finished as the tournament’s second highest wicket taker.
Gowtham made his T20 debut against Chennai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on October 16, 2011. He only bowled one over and gave up 12 runs, leaving him wicketless. The match was won by Karnataka by 40 runs.
On November 17, 2012, he made his first-class debut against Uttar Pradesh in Meerut as part of the Ranji Trophy. In the second innings, he took the wickets of Suresh Raina and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
After that, it was easy pickings for the Bangalore lad, who was picked for the Ranji Trophy in 2012. Gowtham shone in the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy, picking up two successive five-wicket hauls against Delhi and Assam, and guiding his team to victory in both games. This tournament saw him take 18 wickets in just three matches, earning him selection for India A.
In 2017, he took a break from the Duleep Trophy due to sickness, but returned a few days later to play in the Karnataka Premier League. As a result, he was substituted in India’s A squad against New Zealand in Mumbai by Karan Sharma. On February 25, 2017, Gowtham made his List A debut against Jharkhand in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He wowed the crowd by taking four wickets and guiding Karnataka to a 5-run victory.
IPL Career
Gowtham made headlines in 2018 when the Rajasthan Royals bought him for a staggering 6.2 crores in the IPL auctions, and everyone felt the Rajasthan Royals had made a huge mistake. RR, on the other hand, were able to close out close matches thanks to Gowtham’s finishing prowess, which helped them qualify for the IPL 2018 Playoffs. However, due to some inconsistent results in the 2019 season, the franchise decided to release him. Kings XI Punjab traded him ahead of the 2020 season auction.
Gowtham is a key member of the KXIP spin attack, which also includes Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman and young Indian leggie Ravi Bishnoi, and he is expected to play in all of the team’s IPL 2020 games. Opposing batsmen would want to take him on, giving him a great opportunity to pick up wickets.
Another critique of the KXIP team is their poor middle order, and Gowtham may find himself in the middle of the order much more frequently than his teammates would prefer. The 31-year-old could also be seen as a pinch-hitter, and he has a chance to win the AL MVP award.