WATCH: Pravin Tambe picks his first wicket in CPL 2020

Since 2019, Indian cricket witnessed a paradigm shift with the participation of its players in foreign leagues.

Earlier, the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Manpreet Gony were responsible for the much-needed change in norms of professional cricketers in India, with their participation in Canada’s Global T20 league.

The players who cannot make it big by being centrally contracted with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), now have the opportunity to bag lucrative deals with top franchise clubs around the world.

Even the likes of Suresh Raina and Irfan Pathan had been vocal about BCCI letting its players participate in leagues outside India. Raina has expressed his desire to participate in top T20 competitions outside India, such as Big Bash League (BBL) and Caribbean Premier League (CPL), now that he has announced his international retirement.

48-year-old Pravin Tambe‘s inclusion in the Trinbago Knight Riders’ (TKR) camp is a prime example of the paradigm shift in Indian cricket.

The former Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) spinner paid rich dividends for the faith entrusted on him by the Venky Mysore-governed franchise.

Najibullah Zadran became Tambe’s first CPL victim

In the match between the Knight Riders and St Lucia Zouks (SLZ), Tambe picked his maiden CPL wicket. His first victim in the Caribbean T20 tournament was Najibullah Zadran (21), who looked to accelerate after an impressive start.

Zadran’s run-a-ball knock was curtailed by Tambe as he used his guile to dismiss the Afghan sensation. Tambe was hit for 15 runs in the first five deliveries of his only over in the game. He then invited Zadran for a heave over long-off in the final delivery.

However, the left-handed batsman could only manage to top-edge the ball in the air, with Kieron Pollard‘s safe pair of hands underneath it.

Here’s the video:

First CPL wicket for Pravin Tambe! Historic moment for this Indian star! #CPL20 #CricketPlayedLouder pic.twitter.com/XFoLyxBIrO

— CPL T20 (@CPL) August 26, 2020

In the end, the Zouks could only manage 111 for the loss of six wickets, before rain interrupted play. TKR moved up to the top of the table after winning the contest by six wickets with the DLS method.