Chetan Sakariya
Emulating his domestic form in IPL 2021, left-arm medium-pacer Chetan Sakariya left many impressed with his talent. But on returning home after the suspension of the league, Sakariya rushed to the hospital to visit his father Kanjibhai who had tested positive for coronavirus last week.
Sakariya, who played for Rajasthan Royals this season, had received the call last week about his father who immediately got his IPL salary transferred to help his family. “I was lucky because I had received my part payment from Rajasthan Royals a few days ago. I straight away transferred money back home, and that is helping my family the most in my toughest time,” Sakariya told The Indian Express.
IPL was postponed earlier this week after several positive cases emerged within the bio-bubble. But with half the season completed, it helped uncapped players like Sakariya, who are still without a central contract, to receive a salary. The youngster was picked for INR 1.2 crores in the auction earlier this year.
“People are saying stop IPL. I want to tell them something, I am the only bread earner in my family. Cricket is the only source of my earnings. I can give better treatment to my father because of the money I earned from IPL. Had this tournament not happened for a month, it would have been tougher for me. I come from a poor family, my father all his life drove tempo and because of IPL my whole life was about to change,” said Sakariya.
After returning from IPL, Sakariya spends most of his morning at the hospital, worried about his father, who is also a diabetic patient. The cricketer, just months before the auction, lost his younger brother.
Sakariya, like most others, expects the remainder of the IPL season to happen soon. He is eager to see his father recover quickly and wants to build a new house for his family. "I am the only member in my community who has earned so much. My mother doesn’t know how many zeros are there in crores. Our first priority is to see my father back and then build that home. For that, IPL should happen.”
