When Kochi Tuskers Kerala called Nidheesh for a trial camp, the right arm muscular pacer managed to impress the coaching management with his raw pace and skills. But he did not get a contract. Kochi also never featured again in the IPL after 2011.
But Nidheesh kept toiling hard on the unresponsive tracks in Kerala. He has been in the thick and thin of the Kerala Ranji team since making his first-class debut in 2014. A solid season with the ball in the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy saw Mumbai Indians take notice of it. They called him for a trial and despite leaving it mid-way due to injury, Nidheesh had done enough. Nidheesh also did not feature in the marquee Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament owing to his injury. The Kerala pacer was bought at 20 lakhs INR ahead of IPL XI by the Mumbai franchise.