In the 2020 IPL auction, Pravin Tambe received a shot in the arm as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bought him at his base price of Rs 20 lakh and thus, allowed him to revive his T20 career.
The 48-year-old was the oldest cricketer to feature in the auction pool.
Mumbai leg-spinner Tambe made his IPL debut before first-class cricket. He was a part of the Rajasthan Royals squad for three seasons before the franchise was suspended for two years. In 2016, he was part of now-defunct Gujarat Lions.
As per the guidelines set by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), no non-retired player could take part in overseas leagues. Therefore, Tambe won’t be allowed to feature in the upcoming season of the IPL.
Since Tambe played in the 2019 Abu Dhabhi T10 League, he doesn’t fulfill the criterion of playing the IPL. “As per Board policy, only retired players can take part in overseas leagues,” a source was quoted as saying in The Times of India (TOI) on Sunday (December 12).
However, Tambe will be disappointed in missing out on the upcoming IPL season for the Kolkata-based franchise. KKR had added some big names to their line-up in the auction, including the likes of Pat Cummins, Eoin Morgan, Tom Banton, Chris Green and Varun Chakravarthy.
Pravin Tambe’s IPL stats
- Matches: 33
- Wickets: 28
- Best bowling: 4/28
- Economy: 7.75
- Strike Rate: 23.57
- Average: 30.46
