The former household name in IPL claimed that when he showed reluctance to join a specific franchise, he had to face the wrath of the IPL founder.
A former Indian pacer recently spoke about how he did not want to play for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the flagship edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008 and the consequences he had to face.
Praveen Kumar, who plied his trade in IPL from 2008 to 2017 mentioned that Delhi Daredevils (now known as Delhi Capitals) was his first-choice team, given that the capital is closer to his hometown, Meerut. He recalled how he was asked to sign on a paper by an RCB official ahead of the season.
The 37-year-old was unaware that it was a contract and ended up signing it. Kumar claimed that when he showed reluctance to join the franchise, IPL founder Lalit Modi threatened to end his career.
During an interview with The Lallantop, Praveen Kumar said: “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.”
Praveen Kumar was a household name in the IPL, playing for five different teams (Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Lions) in his career. He has enjoyed an illustrious stint, picking up a total of 90 wickets in 119 matches with a commendable economy of 7.73.
Praveen Kumar announced his retirement in 2018 after being unsold in the IPL auction. He still plays in T20 leagues of retired cricketers.
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Kumar was part of the Manipal Tigers in the 2023 edition of the Legends League Cricket (LLC). The Harbhajan Singh-led side beat the Urbanrisers Hyderabad in the final to win the tournament.
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