IPL: 5 inspiring stories of players 

The Indian Premier League has in no time acquired the status of the world’s biggest and the most passionately followed cricket tournament.

Season by season IPL has grown in stature and it would not be an understatement to call it as India’s favorite summer exhibition of colors, passions and real-time entertainment.

In a cricket frenzy country like India, the IPL comes close to quenching this never-ending thirst for the game.

The league has become the zenith of commercialization of sports in the country. Based on the IPL model many other sporting leagues have emerged in India and are doing reasonably well.

IPL has also given a lot of opportunities to youngsters to perform at the big stage and make a name for themselves in the international cricketing arena. Many cricketers have taken the big leap because of the league.

Here are a few inspiring tales of cricketers whose lives changed after IPL.

---

#5 Mohammed Siraj

It is all right to dream as long as one has the passion and dedication to pursue them and achieve them. Mohammed Siraj, the son of an auto-rickshaw driver in Hyderabad had big dreams but scarce means to achieve them.

That, however, did not dampen his spirit. Siraj learned the basics of the game by himself- by watching cricket and practicing with a tennis ball. Siraj first bowled with a proper cricket ball, not long ago in 2015. The same year Siraj made his dream Ranji debut and picked up 41 wickets in 9 matches.

Though Siraj was not trained, his raw talent, pace, and great accuracy were enough to make him the talk of the town in the domestic circuit. It was in IPL 2017 auctions that Siraj’s hard work got recognition. Although introduced in the auctions at a base price of 20 lakhs, after a bidding war the Sunrisers Hyderabad picked him up for a whopping Rs. 2.6 crores.

Siraj also earned a national call-up but has not been impressive in the 3 opportunities that he has received so far. Another impressive season in the IPL will help Siraj put away all the criticism after his poor performances for India in the T20Is. For a boy from as humble a background as his, there could be nothing more satisfying than wearing the national colors.

#4 Nathu Singh

Nathu Singh joined Gujarat Lions at the start of 2017 season

Like many other young boys who dream of playing cricket at the international level, Nathu Singh’s cricketing dream started with tennis ball cricket in the backyard. The son of a factory worker, Nathu would prove to be too good a bowler for his opponents in the gully cricket. It was his friends here that saw the initial spark in him.

After years of toil, Nathu Singh announced himself in the cricketing world when he picked up 7 wickets for 87 runs playing for Rajasthan in his Ranji Trophy debut. This helped him make a name for himself enough to be a talking point at the IPL auctions.

Eventually, the speedster who was trained under Glenn McGrath at MRF Pace Academy in Chennai was picked by the Mumbai Indians for Rs. 3.2 crores in 2016.

#3 Kedar Jadhav

Kedar Jadhav remained a consistent underdog in the Maharashtra side for 10 years

Hailing from a small town of Madha in Solapur district of Maharashtra, Kedar Jadhav’s father was a clerk in the Maharashtra State Electricity Board. Unlike his three elder sisters, Jadhav was not interested in education and did not go to school after the ninth grade.

After playing good cricket for a Pune club, Jadhav was drafted into the state U-19 team in 2004 and silently went about his business, being a consistent run-getter for the Maharashtra side in every opportunity that he got.

In 2012, Jadhav made a triple century- a 327 run knock and carried his form into the 2013-14 Ranji Trophy season where he was the leading run scorer. It took 10 long years for the underrated batsman in the Maharashtra team to be noticed by the selection panel.

It was in 2013 that Jadhav played in his first IPL with the Delhi Daredevils and after full utilization of every opportunity that came his way, Jadhav made his international debut in 2014.

#2 Manzoor Dar

Dar worked as a laborer and a security guard before playing professional cricket

The lone cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to play in IPL 2018- Manzoor Dar worked as a laborer to supplement his family income. The right-handed batsman was looking for ways to make more money to take care of his four brothers and three sisters, all of them younger to him.

It was then that Manzoor was asked by a local coach to try and participate in club cricket as he spotted him hitting huge sixes. More matches meant more money and Manzoor would never say no, working in the night as a security guard and then with the rise of the sun go back to his team for the match.

After 9 T20 matches for the state team (in which he averages 30.83 with the bat) since January last year Dar was grabbed by the IPL franchise- Kings XI Punjab for 60 lakhs and although many turned millionaires over-night, Manzoor’s family might have been the happiest.

#1 T Natarajan

T Natarajan had a commendable season of the Tamil Nadu Premier League last year

Thangarasu Natarajan’s family was not assured of their next meal when he was a kid. As a child, Natarajan would run around to help his dad, who worked in a textile factory. His mother sold snacks by the highway in the village of Chinnappampatti (near Salem in Tamil Nadu) where they lived.

Till he was 20, Natarajan only played tennis ball cricket as he could not manage cricket gear. It was only after he went to Chennai that the left arm pacer received formal training. He played for the Jolly Rovers Club, which had been represented by players like R Ashwin and Murali Vijay in Chennai.

However, the Tamil Nadu Premier League last season was the major turning point in the pacer’s career. The pacer's terrific performance in the Tamil Nadu Premier League landed him a 3 crore deal with the Kings XI Punjab in IPL-2017. The 26-year old will play for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in this edition of the league.