6 Indian cricketers who joined politics

After making a name for themselves in the cricketing world, cricketers often look for other professions after retirement. While the majority of them stay close to the profession by becoming a coach or commentators, others prefer to start their own business or decide to spend time with their families and shoot commercials for income. However, a section of the cricketers have decided to join politics in recent times to serve the people of the country. When it comes to overseas players, Shakib Al Hasan recently contested in Bangladesh’s Lok Sabha Election, while former Pakistan pacer Wahab Riaz held the position of caretaker Sports Minister earlier in the year. When it comes to India, multiple cricketers have come forward in the last few years. It has now turned into a trend as cricketers from across the country have joined politics and have contested elections. Here are five prominent Indian cricketers who are currently active in politics. Today, let's have a look at six notable cricketers who have chosen politics as their second innings - 6. Kirti Azad Kirti Azad. (Photo Courtesy - Twitter/X) Kirti Azad, a member of the 1983 World Cup winning team, joined politics and was elected to Parliament on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket. He served as a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Delhi’s Gole Market, before contesting for Lok Sabha Elections in 2014. However, his political career turned into a nightmare after he was suspended from BJP for openly targeting union finance minister Arun Jaitley over alleged irregularities and corruption in Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA). He later joined the Indian National Congress in February 2019 and fought the general election in the same year but lost to BJP candidate Pashupati Nath Singh by 4.8 lakh votes. After that, he joined the All India Trinamool Congress and will be fighting the upcoming Lok Sabha Election from the Bardhaman-Durgapur constituency in West Bengal. 5. Mohammad Azharuddin Azharuddin. (Photo Courtesy - Twitter/X) Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin joined politics in February 2009. Representing Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, he won the General Elections in 2009 and became a member of the parliament. However, in 2014, his political career took a U-turn when he lost to Sukhbir Singh Jaunapuria of the BJP in the Tonk–Sawai Madhopur constituency in Rajasthan. Later on, in 2018, he was appointed as the working president of Telangana. In 2023, the former cricketer contested the 2023 Telangana Legislative Assembly election from Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency in Hyderabad but lost to Maganti Gopinath of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi. It is to be seen if he once again participates in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. 4. Navjot Singh Sidhu Navjot Singh Sidhu. (Photo Source: Twitter) Former India batter and opener Navjot Singh Sidhu has had a long-standing association in the political arena. Shortly after retiring from international cricket, the cricketer stepped onto the political field. His first stint began as a Lok Sabha member between with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) back in 2004. After being associated with BJP for more than a decade, Sidhu parted ways to join hands with the Indian National Congress (INC) in 2017. The 1963-born contested for Amritsar East constituency with Congress and won to later take oath as Tourism and Local Bodies Minister for the state of Punjab. 3. Manoj Tiwary Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary joined the All India Trinamool Congress right before the 2021 Bengal state election. He contested from the Shibpur constituency and won the seat against BJP’s Rathindranath Chakraborty and became a Member of Legislative Assembly. After the win, the TMC government appointed him as a minister of state for Affairs of Sports and Youth. 2. Yusuf Pathan Yusuf Pathan. (Photo Courtesy - Twitter/X) Two-time World Cup winner Yusuf Pathan joined the All India Trinamool Congress in March 2024. He will be fighting from the Berhampore constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections, where Congress’ Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is quite popular. The cricketer has a long history with the people of Kolkata and of the entire Bengal, as he was previously a part of KKR, which won the IPL in 2012 and 2014. Shortly after his association with the political party, the Baroda batter went on to thank West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee through his various social media handles. The former Kolkata Knight Riders' all-rounder also expressed excitement for the opportunity to represent people's voice for the upcoming elections. Also Read: Irfan Pathan confident about brother Yusuf's political success 1. Gautam Gambhir Former cricketer Gautam Gambhir joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in March 2019. He was given a ticket from East Delhi in the 2019 General Elections, and eventually won the seat by 695,109 votes against Atishi Marlena and Arvinder Singh Lovely. However, ahead of the 2024 General elections, Gambhir decided to prioritize his cricket commitments and backed out of politics. Now, the southpaw will be coming back to cricketing duties with his former IPL franchise - Kolkata Knight Riders. Notably, the Knight Riders had won the championship titles back in 2012 and 2014, respectively, both of which came under Gambhir's leadership. The New Delhi-born cricketer has already assumed the position as a mentor with KKR, as the club aims to lift the coveted trophy after a decade. Also Read: Gautam Gambhir quits politics over cricket commitments

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6 Indian cricketers who joined politics

Many cricketers, who've represented India in the past, have chosen to enter the political arena after showing their sporting talents in the cricketing field.

5. Mohammad Azharuddin

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