Rajasthan Royals Pledge 'All Possible Support' To Chetan Sakariya Who Lost His Father Due To COVID-19

In an unfortunate piece of news, Rajasthan Royals’ young pacer Chetan Sakariya’s father, Kanjibhai, passed away on Sunday after a bout with the Covid-19 at a hospital in Bhavnagar, Gujarat.

It was earlier reported that last week Chetan Sakariya had sent money which he received from the contract with the Royals for the treatment of his father. Lucklessly, he couldn’t battle the virus any further.

The seamer had met his father only in the last couple of days after the IPL 2021 was postponed due to the covid-19 outbreak in 4 different franchises.

The Rajasthan Royals took to Twitter to announce this sad news. They also promised all possible support to the 23-year-old and his family in their difficult time.

“It pains us so much to confirm that Mr Kanjibhai Sakariya lost his battle with Covid-19 earlier today,” the Rajasthan Royals tweeted.

“We’re in touch with Chetan and will provide all possible support to him and his family in this difficult time,” the tweet added.

The youngster has had a few tough, emotional past few months: prior to the IPL he had lost his brother, who reportedly committed suicide; now his father’s demise compounded his pain.

Cricket is the only source of my earnings; IPL should happen: Chetan Sakariya

While the IPL 2021 is now postponed, there were calls to halt the tournament earlier as covid cases soared in the country. However, Chetan Sakariya, who was picked up for Rs 1.2 crore in the February auction, says he comes from a poor background with IPL the sole source of his income. He reckons that the money he earns from cricket will help his family, thus he is hoping for the IPL 2021 to resume soon.

Chetan Sakariya was impressive in his debut IPL season – he was even picked ahead of his Saurashtra captain, Jaydev Unadkat. The seamer picked 7 wickets in 7 games at a decent economy of 8.22.

“People are saying stop IPL. I want to tell them something, I am the only bread earner in my family. Cricket is the only source of my earnings. I can give better treatment to my father because of the money I earned from IPL,” Chetan Sakariya had said earlier.

“Had this tournament not happened for a month, it would have been tougher for me. I come from a poor family, my father all his life drove tempo and because of IPL my whole life was about to change.

“I am the only member in my community who has earned so much. My mother doesn’t know how many zeros are there in crores. Our first priority is to see my father back and then build that home. For that, IPL should happen,”, he stated.

It pains us so much to confirm that Mr Kanjibhai Sakariya lost his battle with Covid-19 earlier today.

We're in touch with Chetan and will provide all possible support to him and his family in this difficult time.

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) May 9, 2021

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