Former Indian pacer Praveen Kumar recently opened up about his unexpected entry into the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) squad during the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008.
Former Indian pacer Praveen Kumar recently opened up about his unexpected entry into the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) squad during the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008. Kumar, who had initially preferred Delhi Daredevils due to its proximity to his hometown Meerut, shared that he unknowingly signed a contract with RCB before the season.
In an interview with The Lallantop, Kumar revealed that he faced resistance in joining RCB, citing factors like the distance from his home, language barrier, and food preferences. Shockingly, IPL founder Lalit Modi allegedly threatened to end Kumar's career when he expressed his reluctance to join RCB.
'I did not want to play for RCB because Bangalore was quite far away from my place, I didn't know English, and the food was not to my liking. Delhi is quite close to Meerut, which would have allowed me to travel to my home once in a while. However, there was a person who made me sign a paper. I did not know it was the contract. I told them I wanted to play for Delhi and not Bangalore. Lalit Modi called me and threatened to end my career,' shared Kumar during the interview.
In the same discussion, Kumar didn't shy away from expressing his criticism of veteran official Marais Erasmus, labeling him as a 'pathetic umpire' with questionable decision-making abilities.
Praveen Kumar, who retired in 2018 after going unsold in the IPL auction, remains active in T20 leagues for retired cricketers. Beyond his cricketing anecdotes, Kumar also shared his views on Pakistani cricketers, branding most of them as "liars" and "show-offs." Despite these generalizations, Kumar acknowledged having a few friends among them, including Kamran Akmal.
Recently participating in the Legends League Cricket (LLC) with the Manipal Tigers in 2023, Kumar's team emerged victorious under the leadership of Harbhajan Singh, defeating the Urbanrisers Hyderabad in the final to claim the championship.
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 "'Lalit Modi threatened to...': Ex-India star makes explosive claim")
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