Kunal Chandela is the lucky charm for the victors of Uttarakhand Premier League. USN Indians, Haridwar Spring Elmas and Dehradun Warriors have clinched the trophy respectively in the three editions hitherto, and the opening batter has finished on the champion’s podium on every occasion. He is the star of the state, and expectations naturally follow him like a shadow. Kunal, to his credit, delivers more often than not.
He was the ninth-highest run-getter in Ranji Trophy 2025-26, leading Uttarakhand to a maiden semi-final in their eight-year history. As he took guard in Raipur against Rishikesh River Kings, hundreds of pupils dilated in the crowd from sheer excitement. After all, the tournaments held under the aegis of the BCCI work on a rotational model so the locals don’t always get a chance to watch their own cricketers perform. Here it was though, an opportunity to witness one of the finest talents the hills had ever produced, in blood and flesh.
The bowling side, however, was determined to gatecrash this keenly-awaited party. In a tightly congested event where triple headers were the norm spinner Jitendra Pal was frontloaded in the defence of 186. He attacked the stumps at night, a line that was right up Kunal’s alley given his command over the paddle sweep. The bread-and-butter nature of the shot notwithstanding, it was way too early to be employing the horizontal blade.
“I made a mistake by trying to execute that shot prematurely,” Kunal admitted. “I took on a bowler whom I’d not seen much of. It was a low and slow track, so I needed to spend some time at the crease to understand its behaviour. My early dismissal pegged us back.”
Dehradun Warriors folded for 129 in reply and Kunal was miffed, as much with his shot selection as with the batting unit’s collective failure. At one point during the chase he even shouted instructions at the struggling pair in the middle. It was a telling insight into why cricket is known as a team sport played by individuals. Personal success or misfortune influences your attitude towards a group, and Kunal was clearly having a weak moment. In the campaign opener itself Dehradun Warriors’ scorecard was littered with single-digit scores and the ones who managed to hang in there dawdled to run-a-ball contributions, much to the skipper’s chagrin.
The harbinger couldn’t have been any more prominent. The title aspirations of Dehradun Warriors were tethered to Kunal’s form, which needed a quick turnaround. “I spoke to my opening partner Sanskar Rawat that we’ll take calculated risks to ensure we get a good start. We wanted to set the tone with a healthy partnership, something we weren’t able to do in the first match,” Kunal acknowledged. “We sought counsel from batting coach Rashmi Ranjan Parida. He suggested we focus on reading the conditions and dealing with each ball on its merit.”
Masters across vocations possess the ability to return to the baseline and reset fast following a misstep. Kunal went back to the drawing board and his recalibrated plans were put on gallery when USN Indians came knocking at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
He rode the bounce while pulling the half-tracker and gave a glimpse of his maturity on the very next delivery, jetting off for a sharp single after bunting the ball to mid-on. Then came a cover drive that revoked memories of Ian Bell in his prime – the knee of the right leg bent on the ground, the full flourish of the bat, and a pose for the shutterbugs that emoted he won’t bother running, in case there was an iota of doubt in anyone’s mind in spite of the holy connection. The gunshot crack of leather on willow was intimidating enough for his counterpart to push the fielder to the fence, and the spectators cheered on as if they gleaned from that stroke a bit more than just the class of Kunal. Rightly so, it was an omen for another impressive season with the bat.
The squad member of Central Zone in Duleep Trophy 2026 made strike rotation his motto. A hip-length freebie was put away with panache and Kunal immediately crossed over to the other end, yet again, thanks to a gentle dab. An encore of his guide to fine leg preceded a crackdown on the rookie Bhavyadeep Singh from southpaw Sanskar, whose flair complemented the orthodoxy of Kunal as Dehradun Warriors posted 62/0 in the PowerPlay.
Having fetched runs in the same direction where his ill-fated option a couple of nights ago was intended to go, did Kunal’s game undergo any minor technical or tactical adjustments? “I simply delayed my shots. I allowed myself the space to settle in, learning from the error I committed previously of going after a new bowler instantaneously,” he explained. “Quite pleased that I was able to course-correct in short order.”
As the field spread the opening combination of Dehradun Warriors decided amongst themselves that Sanskar will take on Jagadeesha Suchith being the positive match-up. It gave Kunal the breathing room to acclimatize to the change in speeds and once the transitional mission was accomplished, the senior pro was in his element. Left-arm spinners Veer Pratap Singh and Rohit Dangwal saw him leave his crease to access long-off, with his still head position at the point of contact facilitating the aesthetic gems played along with the turn.
“Your balance as a batter is of paramount importance. Head and shoulder positioning is key. I’ve always subscribed to the idea of timing and look to middle the ball rather than applying brute force,” Kunal elucidated.
Once an opening partner of Gautam Gambhir in Delhi, Kunal Chandela was the 9th highest run-getter in Ranji Trophy 2025-26. An alumni of Abhimanyu Cricket Academy in Dehradun, he joined Uttarakhand in ’21, gradually earning all-format captaincy. His journey https://t.co/ckFIrLFNyV https://t.co/ENPBooa1x8
— Aryan Surana (@iamaryansurana) April 29, 2026
“Whenever you’re up against smart operators like Suchith or Dangwal, eyeing the straighter boundaries is a prudent choice because they won’t let you sweep in general,” he expanded upon the fundamentals of his range-hitting.
Dehradun Warriors managed a dozen runs in the two overs post Kunal’s departure on 70 leading into the death. “Well set, I was fancying a big hundred so obviously there’s a tinge of disappointment that I couldn’t finish things off,” he underlined the hunger that drives rich harvests of the kind that the recently-capped Naman Dhir produced in Sher-e-Punjab T20 League. Kunal, the top run-scorer in UPL 2025, backed up his resurgent knock with a dazzling 90 off 51 balls in the grand finale.
“All these state franchise leagues serve as a litmus test of your ability in front of the scouts,” felt Kunal, an invitee to the trials organized by IPL teams Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals last season. “All cricketers don’t get an equal number of opportunities at Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy so the limelight you can draw through such homegrown competitions makes them a very valuable platform.”
