Forty-five days from now, Pravin Tambe will turn 49. But those who know him will agree that for the Mumbai-based spinner, age has always been ‘just a number’.
Like any other young cricketer, Tambe maintains a strict routine. He starts his day early and trains for a good amount of time. The love for the game keeps him going.
On Wednesday, Tambe became the first Indian to feature in the Caribbean Premier League. He made the final XI for Trinbago Knight Riders against St. Lucia Zouks.
Tambe was disqualified from the Indian Premier League (IPL) after being picked by Kolkata Knight Riders in the auction in December last year.
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The leggie had retired in 2018 to play the T10 League, however, he later withdrew his retirement and played the Mumbai T20 League and registered himself for the IPL auction, where KKR bought him for Rs 20 lakh. As per the BCCI rule, none of the active cricketers are eligible for overseas leagues.
However, in June, TKR picked him from the CPL draft and he had to officially retire, albeit for the second time. “Since then I have trained indoors. For any player, this is a big opportunity and I hope to play to my strength,” Tambe said, before leaving for the Caribbeans.
“Since I am retired, I am eligible to feature in overseas leagues and I would try to be in the playing eleven.”
While the controversy did move him a bit, it did not shatter Tambe’s confidence.
Tambe, who played for IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals between 2013 and 2015, is also the oldest player of the CPL. “I don’t know about Pravin Tambe but I am excited that he’s making his debut for @TKRiders! What an inspiring story!!” tweeted Knight Riders CEO, Venky Mysore, after Tambe was included in the final eleven, in place of Sunil Narine.
In the past, some of the retired players including Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Virender Sehwag have played in overseas franchise leagues.
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