“MPL money paid off my debts”

Good times follow bad ones. Amol Karhadkar reports.

Good times follow bad ones.

HT Image

Sanjay Pardeshi has toiled at his parents' launderette, delivering clothes to customers. He even suffered burns on his back in a freak domestic accident. All this while he struggled to convince them to allow him to play cricket.

But the day he saw their faces beaming with pride when he fetched a six-figure amount in the recent Maharashtra Premier League (MPL) auction, all the agonies were put to the background.The 23-year-old Puneite - a genuine fast bowler who consistently bowled close to 140 kmph in the MPL's second edition - had been among the fringe players for Maharashtra's age-group teams through his teens. "Before MPL, my biggest achievement was representing University of Pune at the all-India level," Pardeshi tells HT.

“But MPL helped me get noticed. I was first selected for Maharashtra's tour to Australia and then was a member of the squad for four Ranji matches.”

Along with the exposure came the big bucks as Pratapgad Warriors for MPL-3 bought Pardeshi for R1.2 lakh. And what did he do with the money?"Ever since my childhood, our family has been carrying the load of financial loans, so the money helped in reducing the burden," Pardeshi says. "If I can get rid of all the liabilities, that will be the happiest day of my life."