Salil Arora (Image credit: BCCI/IPL) NEW DELHI: A young batsman who takes on Jasprit Bumrah for the first time usually shows signs of nervousness, tension or even a bit of fear. But 23-year-old Salil Arora showed none of that during the IPL 2026 between SRH and MI. What stood out instead was his fearless approach, highlighted by a stunning invisible six straight over Bumrah’s head.The shot caught the eye of everyone, including his partner at the non-striker end, Heinrich Klaasen. After the match, Klaasen revealed to the broadcasters during the post-match chat: “He asked me if he could hit it (with 11 vs. 12 needed) and I said yes – finish the game.”
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Nitish Kumar Reddy breaks down SRH’s master plan | post-match pcSalil remained unbeaten on 30 from just 10 balls and smashed three sixes in a remarkable 300. And it wasn’t just Bumrah who took charge. He also attacked Hardik Pandya and hit him for two sixes. One of them stood out—a sharp thrust with a short arm. Picking a length early, Salil turned into position and sent the ball up over mid-wicket, taking Pandya by surprise.750 balls are trained every dayBehind this intrepid tapping is serious preparation. For almost a year and a half, Salil practiced intensively – facing around 250 deliveries in a sitting, three times a day, often with a Cosco ball. He also worked with side-arm bowlers, simulating a speed of 140-150 kmph to get ready for the IPL match.So when Bumrah bowled it in the slot, Salil was ready. No hesitation, no thinking – just pure execution.“Slot mein aayegi toh chakka jaayega,” Arora’s coach Rajan Gill recalled his student’s words from those training days. As the coach pointed out, it was no accident – it was the result of a clear plan, detailed preparation and focused training for the IPL.“Usne Bumrah ko bilkul nahi dekha, usne sirf the ball ko dekha (he didn’t look at the bowler, he just looked at the delivery). If he’s in the slot, he won’t spare it. The ball will definitely go over the fence. It’s the result of one-and-a-half years of hard work. We trained it with Cosco (tennis) speed. If you look at his bat, his speed is a lot. this,” Gill told TimesofIndia.com.“Let me explain. We decided to have three sessions each day, all with Cosco (tennis) balls. Each session had about 200 to 250 deliveries – almost 600 to 700 balls in total per day. The sessions were divided into three parts: the first with regular balls, the second with wet balls that the fast bowlers passed, and the third we plastered practice balls with white and sometimes white. Our main goal was to prepare for coscoball, and whenever he got on the ground, he was never idle, always doing something – sometimes playing in the field, or even keeping goal.“There are people who say they will bowl 1,500 or 2,000 balls a day. I don’t believe in that formula. Training has to be purposeful, clear and with the right mindset. Bowling 2,000 balls a day doesn’t make a player. Even if you face 100 balls well, you can still become one,” he said.“He was practicing hitting close to the body – what you call short arm hitting. We used bowlers and pitching specialists to do that. Some of them could simulate speeds of 140-150km/h,” added Gill.How Salil caught the eye of Ishan KishanIt was against Jharkhand’s Ishan Kishan side that Salil struck one of his most memorable knocks before being scouted for the IPL.In last season’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he smashed an unbeaten 125 off just 45 balls, hitting 11 sixes in a brutal display of power hitting. And Ishan, who led the opposition, had a front-row seat to the carnage as the youngster eased the ropes with ease. Salil finished the tournament with 358 runs from eight innings at an impressive rate of 198.88. His tally of 28 sixes was the second highest in the competition.According to his coach, this excellent innings had a strong impact on Ishan and played a key role in Salil getting a Rs 1.50 crore contract with Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of IPL 2026.“That was the match that changed everything for Salil. He talked a lot about Ishan Kishan after that match. Being a senior player and a captain, Ishan spoke to him, praised his batting and also shared some tips,” the coach said.Despite being an uncapped domestic player, Sunrisers Hyderabad showed strong intent in the auction, driven mainly by Salil’s domestic performances.He made the most of his early opportunities in practice matches and put in some eye-catching performances that convinced the team management to back him from the start of the campaign.And as luck would have it, in the absence of regular skipper Pat Cummins, Kishan initially led SRH and Salil was even promoted up the order ahead of Aniket Verma in the opening games.In his first 7 outings, Salil scored 9 vs RCB, 0 vs KKR, 9 vs Punjab Kings, 24* vs Rajasthan Royals, 13 vs CSK, 8* vs Rajasthan Royals. While the numbers may not stand out, the team continued to show faith in his abilities.That belief eventually paid off as his explosive 30 off just 10 balls – highlighted by a stunning six from Jasprit Bumrah – proved why the lead lasted with him.“He used to say, ‘Sir, jab tak 6-7 chakke na ho, shift mein maza nahi aata.’ He had a good run in SRH’s practice matches and thus earned the captain’s trust. Salil often says that Heinrich Klaasen taught him a lot and gave him a lot of tips. Ishan Kishan also likes and supports him a lot. ‘Tu bas khel jaise khelta hai, zyada sochna nahi hai. Tu achha khelta hai,’ (you keep playing the way you are playing, don’t think, you are playing really well) Ishan keeps telling him,” the coach said.Fulfilling my father’s dreamSalil’s journey was far from easy. After losing his father two years ago, his elder brother took over the family business to ensure that Salil could continue to pursue their father’s dream of becoming a cricketer, playing in the IPL and one day representing India. It was a difficult phase with several issues that could easily derail his progress.However, his coach insists that Salil has always been a special talent who never lost sight of his goal. He kept working on his game, expanding his shooting range and staying committed despite setbacks.“He was devastated. It took some time for my family and I to help him deal with it. He is still young and was very close to his father. His father had only one dream – to see his son play for India and in the IPL. One has already come true and I am sure he will represent India one day as well,” the coach said.
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Salil – pooja-paath kind of boyMany cricketers observe their own pre-match rituals and for Salil it starts with a visit to a temple. Be it a local tournament, state-level cricket or the IPL, he makes it a point to find a temple, say his prayers and only then enter the field.“He is a pooja-paath type of guy. I remember one incident when he had a match – he woke up early in the morning and went to look for a temple to pray,” he said.“He doesn’t really drink. He is teetotal. Even at Sunrisers Hyderabad parties, his favorite thing to do is sit with a glass of haldi wala doodh (turmeric milk),” the coach added.
