IPL 2020: 4 Players who are sporting healthy waistlines

The thirteenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), after many delays, finally started on September 19 with Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians clashing against each other in the tournament opener. While fans loved to see their favourite players in action, one more thing that was noticed a lot by everyone was healthy waistlines of a few cricketers, which even led to fans fat-shaming them on social media. 

If there is one thing which Virat Kohli has brought to cricket, it’s the importance of staying fit and adopting a healthy lifestyle. However, it was a completely different story at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi which hosted the opening match of the T20 extravaganza.

Several cricket experts including Viren Rasquinha, former Indian hockey captain, took to Twitter and pointed out the lack of fitness in cricketers who are taking part in the cash-rich tournament. In this article, we have a look at four players who have sported a healthy waistline in the on-going IPL 2020.

Here’s the list:

1. Saurabh Tiwary

Once looked upon as an emerging star, Jharkhand and Mumbai Indians player Saurabh Tiwary now looks nearly unrecognisable. Tiwary clearly looked overweight in their opening encounter against Chennai Super Kings.

The left-handed batsman struggled to run quick singles during Saturday’s match and looked slow between the wickets. But there is something to take away from his useful knock– the highest individual score for Mumbai Indians in the innings.

With a long tournament and busy schedule ahead, it would be difficult for the Jharkhand left-hander to play all games given his current fitness regime. Hence, he would aim to pull his socks up and deliver impressive performances before the season culminates.

2. Rohit Sharma

Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma was one of the main targets for sporting a paunch on Saturday night’s IPL 2020 opener against MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Abu Dhabi.

The Indian limited-overs vice-captain is known for his impeccable timing and ability to hit massive knocks. However, it would not be wrong to say that the COVID-19 lockdown has led Rohit putting on some extra kilos.

The MI skipper would certainly like to end the topic of his fat-shaming with some brilliant individual performances. Also, as fast as possible, he should look to shrug off those extra kilos to look fitter which will help in increasing his agility as a player.

3. Piyush Chawla

CSK skipper MS Dhoni is lauded for his exemplary fitness levels even at the age of 39. However, the pivotal force of their spin bowling, Piyush Chawla was mocked for his weight after CSK’s opening fixture of IPL 2020.

Chawla, a member from the 2011-World Cup-winning squad is not new from being labelled as fat. He has been criticised in the past as well for not being match fit and having weight issues. He is not known for being a fitness bug, unlike most other modern-day players. 

After being thrashed against Rajasthan Royals in the fourth match of the season, the veteran will be aiming to pull up his socks and retaliate in upcoming matches. In the absence of Harbhajan Singh, Chawla is expected to lead CSK’s spin bowling set-up from the front.

4. Shimron Hetmyer

Shimron Hetmyer is another player on the list who has put on some extra kilos which was visible in Delhi Capitals’ match and in the recently-concluded Caribbean Premier League (CPL). The aggressive left-handed Guyanese cricketer looks a lot different from his U19 days because of the weight he has put on.

He was also left out of his national team’s tour of Sri Lanka for the ODI leg as he had failed a fitness test.  Former West Indian spinner and current Delhi Capitals’ spin bowling coach Samuel Badree gave special advice to his countrymate Hetmyer on air during a CPL match. He suggested Hetmyer to get back to his best shape.

The 23-year-old and former U19 winning skipper would be eager to make a quick turnaround in terms of fitness to compete in the modern-day cricket which gives high emphasis on fitness. 

~Written by Kevin D’Costa