Former India's star pacer Praveen Kumar made some stunning revelations during his time in the IPL, saying that he was coerced into playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He brought forth some behind-the-scenes details from the early stages of the Indian Premier League, challenging some of the common perceptions about the glitzy league. Notably, Kumar was a part of RCB's team for the IPL's initial three years.
During his conversation with Lallantop, he recounted being intimidated by the former IPL Chairman, Lalit Modi. Kumar also disclosed that he was unknowingly made to sign the contract documents with 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” Kumar said to Lallantop.
The 37-year-old then commented on the heated exchange between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir during the 2023 IPL season. The incident, where the two star cricketers confronted each other, quickly spread across social media platforms. However, Kumar offers a unique perspective on the situation.
He referred to Gambhir as his elder brother, suggesting that it's natural for an elder brother like him to scold his younger counterpart like Kohli.
“Great guy. He knows how to score runs. That is why he has reached such heights. Working on his body, proper diet – He knows it well. He is my younger brother,” Kumar said.
“He is elder. He is my elder brother. It does not matter if the elder brother scolds the younger one. He is older, he can scold him,” he added.
As far as Kohli is concerned, he has been brought back into the Indian T20I team for the upcoming series against Afghanistan. Similarly, Rohit Sharma has also been recalled to captain the squad in the three-match series. This marks the first time both players are rejoining the Indian T20I team since their last appearance in the T20 World Cup 2022. Notably, Kohli was the top scorer in the T20 World Cup 2022 and the ODI World Cup 2023, amassing 765 runs.
Praveen Kumar stepped away from international cricket in 2018 following his non-selection in the IPL auction. He continues to participate in T20 leagues designed for retired cricketers. Recently, in the 2023 edition of the Legends League Cricket, Kumar was a member of the Manipal Tigers team.
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