New Delhi: From working as a labourer on a daily wage of Rs 60 to fetching an IPL contract worth Rs 20 lakh, Jammu and Kashmir batsman Manzoor Dar has covered a distance more awe-inspiring than the 100-metre sixes he is known for.
Considering the hardships he has faced, the IPL contract with Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) is a life-changing moment for the big-hitting Dar, who finally foresees better times for him and his large family living in a nondescript village in Bandipora district.
Many were made overnight millionaires but if there was one happy story emerging for the IPL auction last weekend, it was Dar. The burly batsman, who earned a name for hitting 100-metre sixes, was the last player to be bought by KXIP.
“I am really thankful to god for this opportunity, also KXIP and Preity (Zinta) mam. My life has been full of struggle and when I finally found a team (at auction), I thought about the time I used to earn Rs 60 in the village as a daily labourer,” Dar told the agency from Jammu where he is preparing for the state team trials for the Vijay Hazare Trophy next month.
His local coach told him to ply his trade in club cricket, while he was struggling to make money. He found instant recognition there but juggling between the night job of a security guard and playing the next morning was not easy.
“But it was the only way I could keep playing. I worked as a night guard from 2008 to 2012 but it was also the time I made my name in club cricket. The aim was to play as many matches as possible because it meant more money. I clearly remember I did not have shoes or cricket gear when I played my first club game,” he recalled.
Facts
In 2011, Dar gave trials for the state team but could only make my domestic debut in 2017. Since then he has played nine T20s and four List A games
He worked as a night guard from 2008 to 2012. He had worked at night and played club cricket in the morning to fulfill his dream
During a zonal kabaddi match in his seventh grade, he dragged three opposition players to his team’s side while raiding. After the performance, he was named ‘Pandav’, the name he is known as in cricketing circles
In KXIP, he will play alongside his hero Yuvraj Singh, someone he played against in a domestic T20 event in Delhi in recent past
press trust of india
