While several youngsters caught the eye in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 auction on Thursday, leg-spinner Pravin Tambe proved the term ‘age is just a number’ true again. At 48, Tambe became the oldest player to be bought in an IPL auction when he was snapped up by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for his base price of ₹20 lakh. If he gets to play a game for CSK, Tambe will become the oldest player to play in the IPL.
However, the record of the oldest player has currently being held by the Australian spinner Brad Hogg, who played for KKR at the age of 44. Twitter users were left impressed by the fact that Pravin Tambe got picked at the IPL auction, with many saying that his story is an inspirational one that teaches people to never give up.
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Here are some of the reactions:
48-year-old #PravinTambe attracting bids in the IPL auction is the biggest story for me this season. It gives me a very valuable lesson which is -Keep working hard and never stop preserving, for you never know when an opportunity comes knocking!#IPLAuction2020 #IPL2020
— tea_addIct 🇮🇳 (@on_drive2306) December 19, 2019
Pravin Tambe has been picked up by @KKRiders for @TheVivoIPLT20! He is 48!! His coaching academy is less than a mile from where I stay. Many say age is just a number. This guy is living that line! Will he get to play a match though? #IPLAuction2020 @legytambe Good luck sirji
— Harish Menon (@MenonHc) December 19, 2019
I'm waiting to see a movie on Pravin Tambe's life. Playing IPL at the age of 48 is phenomenal. So inspirational. Just signifies, if you have the skills age doesn't matter. #IPL2020Auction #IPLAuction
— DesiBeam (@kigallaa) December 19, 2019
Pravin Tambe will be playing in the IPL next year, at age 48 and a half! Inspirational.
— Neeran Karnik (@neeran) December 19, 2019
My request is to give maximum chance to pravin tambe @KKRiders
— Anandraj (@Anandra29980664) December 19, 2019
Age is just a number!
Proved by 48 yr old Pravin Tambe
SOLD to @KKRiders for 20L #IPLAuction #IPL2020Auction #IPLAuction2020 #IPL2020 pic.twitter.com/3cLND9OK9D— Sangram Patra (@SangramPatra) December 19, 2019
Well well well… KKR always amaze me with their picks and they have done the same again… Old vintage PRAVIN TAMBE is our new knight
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Just like wine is more testy as it grows old I hope tambe sir does the same and show his magic for u… 🤟🤟🤟🤟🤟…. #KKR— Avrojit Dutta (@DuttaAvrojit) December 19, 2019
#PravinTambe be like pic.twitter.com/ZpQaCtIuQK
— Dandu (@DandSiddhant) December 19, 2019
There were some who saw the funny side to the story, tweeting that CSK missed out on the spinner. The franchise often gets trolled for buying older players and many fans thought Tambe perfectly fit their bill.
https://twitter.com/positivevibessa/status/1207677785080311813
csk should buy pravin tambe. Age 48 another leg spinner fulfilling their criteria #IPL2020Auction
— 🏏 (@desirobelinda) December 19, 2019
Tambe, who made his IPL debut at the age of 41, said that as far as he is concerned, he considers himself as a 20-year-old.
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The veteran spinner said, “I still play with a mindset like I am a 20-year-old. I will bring all my experience and energy to the team. And that positivity. I know that I can bring that, even if I’m with them not playing. People say many things but I keep doing my job and put in a lot of hard work. I will like to do well in whatever role given to me be it in fielding or bowling. I’m really excited to play for them.”
KKR has further enhanced their squad with nine players at the auction, including England’s World Cup-winning skipper Eoin Morgan and Australia pacer Pat Cummins, who became the highest-paid overseas player in the tournament’s history.
