US bank on Telugu-origin batter Saiteja Mukkamalla against India in T20 World Cup opener
HYDERABAD: Defending champions India begin their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign against the United States on Saturday, but the spotlight will also fall on a Telugu-origin batter in the US line-up.
Roots in a small Andhra village
Saiteja Mukkamalla, one of the key batters for the US, traces his roots to Kamalapuri village in Koilkuntla mandal of Nandyal district in Andhra Pradesh, a hamlet with about 100 families.
Early start, global exposure
Mukkamalla made his ODI debut for the US in May 2022 as an 18-year-old and played his first T20I in August 2024. He has also trained at the VVS Laxman Cricket Academy.
Recalling his son’s early interest in the sport, Saiteja’s father Nageshwar Reddy said he used to watch the 2011 World Cup at home in the US. “Saiteja would watch with me and developed a liking for the game,” he said.
Academies that shaped his career
Saiteja began training at the age of seven at Dream Cricket Academy in Hillsborough under coach Damion Morgan. After the academy shut, he moved to Cricmax Academy in Old Bridge, New Jersey, where former India cricketer Ashok Patel mentored him.
Nageshwar Reddy credited Patel for playing a key role in his son’s development. “He even formed a youth league with four teams at his own expense to give Saiteja match practice,” he said.
Patel also ensured extensive exposure through tours to Dallas, North Carolina, England and India. Saiteja played age-group tournaments in Mumbai every year and toured Guyana annually for five years with coach Linden Fraser.
Nageshwar Reddy currently works as a senior manager with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority in Washington, DC.
