Kanjibhai Sakariya, father of the Rajasthan Royals' fast bowler Chetan Sakariya, passed away in Gujarat on Sunday due to COVID-19. It has been a heartbreaking year for Chetan, as he previously lost his younger brother, Rahul, to suicide shortly before the February IPL auction. On the professional side, the Royals' decision to sign the 23-year-old uncapped bowler for INR 1.2 crore paid off. Sakariya was a standout performer before the tournament's postponement, specifically during his debut against PBKS. In a massive scoring game totaling 438 runs, he was the most economical player on the field, finishing with 3/31 and 13 dot balls. In total, he took 7 wickets, including key dismissals of Mayank Agarwal, MS Dhoni, and Ambati Rayudu.
Kanjibhai Sakariya, the father of Rajasthan Royals fast bowler Chetan Sakariya, died in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, on Sunday from Covid-19. Kanjibhai had tested positive while his son was playing in IPL 2021, and is the second family member Sakariya has lost this year. Weeks before the IPL auction in February, his younger brother Rahul died by suicide.
Sakariya was bought by the Royals for INR 1.2 crore ($ 164,000) and it was a good investment for them as the 23-year-old uncapped left-armer consistently impressed in the tournament before it was postponed. On his IPL debut in a high-scoring match against PBKS where both teams scored 438 runs, Sakariya was the most economical bowler with figures of 3 for 31 and 13 dot balls. Overall, Sakariya had picked up 7 wickets including those of KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, MS Dhoni, Ambati Rayudu and Nitish Rana.
Sakariya took on the role of the sole provider for his household after his father's tempo business went under. Up until the IPL auction, the family lived in a modest one-room house, and Chetan had expressed his desire to build a new home using the money he earned from the league.
Chetan wasn't the only athlete dealing with the pandemic's toll; CSK captain MS Dhoni saw both his parents test positive, and DC's R Ashwin had to withdraw from the IPL when multiple family members were infected. Even more tragically, women's team batter Veda Krishnamurthy lost both her sister and mother to the virus.