One of the markers of growing up, they say, is when you leave home for the first time. Mandeep Singh is on a similar journey at the age of 32. Having played for Punjab, his home state, for 15 years, he has decided to move to Tripura for the 2024-25 Indian domestic season.
The decision may have come as a surprise to many, especially after he led Punjab to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title last season, ending a 30-year trophy drought for the team. However, in a T20 side overflowing with power-hitters, Mandeep, an anchor, was no longer the first name on the team sheet.
Earlier this year, when Punjab toured Namibia for five 50-over games, he was left out of the squad. Perhaps that is what forced him to take this “huge step”.
“When you cross 30, people start thinking your career is coming to an end,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “Last year, I didn’t get picked in the IPL either. But I feel there’s a lot of cricket left in me. I work hard on my fitness. I had a score of 18.3 in the Yo-Yo test last year. It’s not like I am just dragging my career further.
“But I started getting a feeling that I would not be considered for all three formats for Punjab. Many youngsters are coming up and the team management may want to give them opportunities. But I want to play all three formats as of now. So when I got an offer from Tripura, I decided to accept it.
“Winning a trophy for Punjab was my ultimate dream, which we achieved last season. So I felt this was the best time to leave. And it’s not like I cannot go back – I have left on good terms. In fact, I hope to finish with Punjab because my heart is with Punjab.”
At Tripura, Mandeep is replacing Wriddhiman Saha, who was their captain as well last season. Saha has returned to Bengal. Mandeep does not know yet if he will lead Tripura.
“I haven’t talked about it [with the Tripura association],” he said. “I spoke to our coach, PV Shashikanth, but we discussed only how to take the team forward. Everything is a bit new for me.”
Shashikanth was with Karnataka for the last two seasons. So it will be his first season, too, with Tripura.
Mandeep is stepping out of his comfort zone in more ways than one. After his leanest Ranji Trophy season, in 2023-24, where he scored just 216 runs at an average of 27.00, he is taking a new approach to preparation.
In 2019, he had spent a summer playing league cricket in Chennai. That stint was followed by Mandeep’s most productive Ranji Trophy season to date, when he scored 696 runs at an average of 69.60. This time, he is exploring more distant shores. He is in England, playing club cricket for Hull Zingari Cricket Club in the Yorkshire Premier League North.
“I had never played in England before,” Mandeep said. “I first tried for the County Championship. I asked a couple of people to help with a contract, but it didn’t happen. After that, I signed this two-month contract, which runs till mid-September.
“It is a 50-over tournament but is played with the red ball. And it’s not like modern-day ODI cricket. If you score about 250 in 50 overs, that’s a good total. The pitches and conditions are really challenging. There is lot of turn; there is swing anyway. Since our domestic season is starting with the Ranji Trophy this time, I feel this is a good preparation.”
In his first game, Mandeep scored 107 off 84 balls against Easingwold. He is hoping good performances there will open doors to county cricket.
But given his three-format ambitions, he has been working on his T20 skills too.
“Earlier, I used to focus mostly on red-ball cricket during the off-season. This time I practised a lot with the white ball. Being a top-order batter, I normally take my time early on. But things have changed. The demand is for fast cricket. So I worked on my power-hitting, so that if I am required to go big right from the start, I could do that.”
As for his fitness, he is breaking the mental barriers that came up after a major back surgery in 2017.
“I have reduced my weight but improved my strength. Earlier I used to do squats with 50-60kg. After the back surgery, that fear was always there. This time I touched 100kg. I had never lifted this much weight. When it came to deadlifts, I would restrict myself to 70-80kg. I took that to 100kg in the off-season.
“I have a few goals. One is, of course, to play all three formats, and then, hopefully, make a comeback in the IPL. Obviously, if you get back into the IPL and do well, you start getting into the mix [for the Indian team].
“If I am not wrong, Suryakumar Yadav played for India at the age of 30. Shashank Singh is 32-33 [32]. He had his first taste of success in the IPL last year. So the inspirations are right in front of me.”