Never thought I would play in TNPL, let alone IPL, Punjab's 3 crore signing T Natarajan
Kings XI Punjab's latest recruit Thangarasu Natarajan has said that he never dreamed about playing in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, forget the Indian Premier League. The left-arm pacer also said that it would be a dream come true if he could meet his idol Mitchell Johnson during the 2017 IPL.
The 25-year-old would have seen his entire life change in a couple of minutes during the IPL auction. Natarajan was handed a base price of Rs 10 lakhs, but a battle between Rising Pune Supergiants and Kings XI Punjab saw the eventual price end up at Rs. 3 crores. The latter claimed victory as Pune stopped the bidding process after the 3 crore barrier was reached.
“It seems unreal. I never thought I would play in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, let alone the IPL. Very thankful that it has happened,” Natarajan told PTI today.
Like a lot of Indian stars, Natarajan has had to struggle to get to the highest level. As a child, his mother used to run a street-side stall while his father worked as a porter. After playing tennis ball cricket in Salem, he moved to Chennai to play for the famous Jolly Rovers, a club whose alumni boasted of names such as R Ashwin and Murali Vijay. His big break came finally when he made his way into the first edition of the TNPL, where he represented the Dindigul Dragons.
“There was a lot of pressure when I was picked to play in TNPL. But I am thankful to people like Ashwin, Vijay, and L Balaji who instilled the belief in me that I was good enough at the Ranji Trophy level. It was my dream to Ranji Trophy which has been fulfilled and now I look forward to meeting people in the IPL and learning from them,” he added.
The 25-year-old's joy knows no bounds right now but he is slightly disappointed that his role model Mitchell Johnson has left the franchise.
“Johnson is my role model and it will be great if I can meet him during the IPL,” Natarajan said.