Pravin Tambe, the oldest cricketer to debut in IPL will now share his awe-inspiring story on the silver screen. Back in 2013, a leg spinner hailing from Maharashtra with nil first-class exposure introduced himself to the glamourous world of IPL. At 41 years 212 days old, Tambe lived his dream as RR decided to field him against DD. While the story could have had an abrupt ending, the senior leggie made every delivery count. RR found a terrific matchwinner who made it clear “OLD IS GOLD“.
The makers of “M S DHONI – THE UNTOLD STORY” are the ones who are behind Tambe’s biopic as well. Renowned actor Shreyas Talpade has got into the shoes of Tambe to portray his riveting journey on screen. ‘Kaun Pravin Tambe’ will be released on Disney+ Hotstar on April 1, 2022.
Pravin Tambe : A man with an unreal journey
Tambe shot to fame from obscurity after he got a call up from the camp of RR. Prior to his journey in the IPL, the cricketer was a popular name in Mumbai’s club cricket circuit. He has played for teams like Mumbai Cricket Association XI, Parsi Gymkhana, Shivaji Park Gymkhana, St Helens Recreation in Merseyside, Victory Cricket Club, Rainford in the Liverpool Premier League, and four different sides in the DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai. In the 2012-13 Vijay Hazare Trophy knock-outs, Tambe was very close to making his debut in the domestic arena but could not get a match. As he kept his nose to the grindstone on the field, the scouts of Royals camp had their eye on him as a potential gamechanger.
“I think he (Tambe) is a much bigger inspiration than I have been (to him). Someone like Pravin, who has spent so many years playing club matches and not even domestic cricket, is just one of the hundreds of thousands of kids of India who keep playing cricket without even having played first-class. His success is just phenomenal. He works hard, remains humble and I think he is a great inspiration for a lot of us. The way he goes about his business at this age, he is constantly willing to learn, is simply amazing. He is an integral part of the team.”
Rahul Dravid on Pravin Tambe
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Tambe’s career in a nutshell
Pundits called it a huge risk when RR went ahead with Tambe in their XI. But the spinner lived to the dreams of the team management. In CLT20, Tambe shook the cricketing fraternity with his mastery over spin. He took 12 wickets at a stellar average of 6.5. In IPL 2014, Tambe claimed his maiden hat-trick against KKR and fans called him a man with a Midas touch.
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His T20 performances earned him a call from Mumbai Ranji Team in the 2013-14 edition. He made his List A debut for Mumbai in the 2016-17 season of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Not just in IPL, the craze around Tambe got heard overseas as he became the first Indian player to feature in the CPL. He made his CPL debut for TKR against the St. Lucia Zouks. Alongside T20s, Tambe showed his magic in the T10 League as well. He also became the first bowler to take a fifer in T10 cricket.
