Friends turn foes: Roomies play for rival IPL teams
On the field they are rivals, but off it, they are the best of friends. They are Sumit Narwal, who was snapped by the Rajasthan Royals, and Vikramjeet Malik, who hails from Himachal Pradesh and plays for the Kings XI Punjab.
On the field they are rivals, but off it, they are the best of friends. They share a flat, a few jokes and have more than a thing in common. Both are pacers and play cricket for a living and they both live in Delhi. They are Sumit Narwal, who was snapped by the Rajasthan Royals, and Vikramjeet Malik, who hails from Himachal Pradesh and plays for the Kings XI Punjab.
As fate would have it, both were on opposite sides when Rajasthan Royals took on Kings XI on Wednesday. Still, Narwal and Malik did not let the on-field rivalry spill over.
On Tuesday, a day before the clash, both went to a temple to seek the blessings of the Almighty.
Narwal, who had a rather unfortunate debut when he became one of Praveen Kumar's hattrick victims, during the Royals Challengers and Royals' tie, prayed for Malik's success.
"I hope to watch him bowl spectacularly and unsettle some of the greatest players who are part of the tournament," Narwal told Hindustan Times.
Malik, who is the ace bowler for Himachal Pradesh, had bowled for the Kings XI in the second edition in South Africa but is warming the bench this season. He too wished his friend luck.
"I know it was not a very happy beginning for Narwal but he is a very useful all-rounder for any team and I can bet on the fact that he will come good," said Malik. "After all, he is a match-winner."
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