IPL 2020: Pravin Tambe to be part of KKR’s coaching staff

Pravin Tambe, the 48-year-old youngster, would be a part of the Kolkata Knight Rider’s (KKR) support staff for the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL). The same was confirmed by Venky Mysore, KKR’s Managing Director, during a live session on the franchise’s official Instagram handle. Back in December 2019, Tambe was picked by the Knights at a price of INR 20 lakhs.

However, he was later disqualified to take part as he had already played in the T10 League back in November 2018. As per the guidelines set by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), a male cricketer can’t play foreign leagues before officially announcing retirement. Tambe made his IPL debut back in 2013 and played 33 games, picking 28 wickets.

Venky Mysore (in KKR Insta live) confirmed that Pravin Tambe will be part of KKR coaching set up – the respect keeps on increasing how well they are taking care of their players even in tough times.

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) September 12, 2020

Pravin Tambe shining for TKR

Though he won’t be playing for KKR, Tambe recently became the first Indian cricketer to take part in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). The veteran turned out for the Trinbago Knight Riders (KKR) and showed that he’s still gotten the ability to make an impact, both with the ball and on the field. He only played three games and picked up a wicket in each match.

On debut against the St Lucia Zouks, he was entrusted for only a solitary over where he conceded 15 runs and picked up Najibullah Zadran’s wicket. In his last two games, both against the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, he was economical and was hard to pounce on. To his sheer dismay, he didn’t play the semi-final and final against Jamaica Tallawahs and Zouks respectively.

Nevertheless, he could enjoy the ecstasy of TKR winning the CPL for the fourth time. Also, during the course of the tournament, Tambe displayed some agility on the field. He took a couple of sharp catches, running and diving around. Tambe has shown that age can be, nothing but a mere number if one is determined to put in the hard yards for his team.

Though KKR won’t have Tambe as a player, they still have quite a few effective spinners in their ranks. The likes of Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy can rip any batting lineup apart on their day. The Knights’ first match is against defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) on Wednesday, September 23 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.