IPL: 5 inspiring stories of players 

#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.