5 IPL cricketers who turned from rags to riches

The Indian Premier League has brought in so much money into the country, it is currently unimaginable to think where the future would’ve headed if not for the commencement of the tournament in 2008. Besides providing an opportunity of a lifetime for so many youngsters to play with top quality cricketers from around the world, some youngsters’ fortunes have changed with a stint in this tournament.

A lot of young cricketers like Parvinder Awana, Khaleel Ahmed, Sanju Samson and others made their international debuts courtesy this tournament and they also received huge pay-checks from the franchises. For many cricketers, just one stint in the tournament could earn them the money with which they can live out their lives peacefully.

Here are five stories of rags to riches courtesy the IPL

1. Krunal and Hardik Pandya

For a base price of INR 10 lakh, Baroda youngster Hardik Pandya was roped in by the Mumbai Indians. He was still a bit naive at the highest level, but Pandya did make his mark in the tournament, which helped him make his international debut a few months later in India’s historic T20I series clean-sweep in Australia.

In the next auction, his brother Krunal Pandya, who was a completely unknown commodity, went for a whopping INR 2 Crore and he took the tournament by a storm with his explosive batting and cunning left-arm spin. After the Pathan brothers, who incidentally also hailed from Baroda, Indian cricket had a new brother’s combination.

Their father always struggled financially as they had a small car-finance business, but he always provided ample support for his kids to pursue their dreams. Hardik Pandya recalled the joy of gifting his father a car with the money he earned in an interview, which definitely must’ve been a priceless moment.