IPL 2018: Emotional Andrew Tye Dedicates Purple Cap to Late Grandmother

Andrew Tye, on Tuesday (May 8), sizzled with the ball against Rajasthan Royals and then dedicated his performance to his late grandmother who had died on the same day.

Tye revealed the heartbreaking news during the innings break after helping Kings XI Punjab restrict the Royals to 158 for eight. During the game, the 31-year old was sporting an armband in which the words Grandma were written.

“My grandmother passed away today. I would like to dedicate this to her and to my whole family. It has been a very emotional and tough day,” said an emotional Tye, fighting back tears.

Tye finished the game with four wickets. The Australian gave Kings XI a good start by dismissing Ajinkya Rahane for just nine. He then got rid-off Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Jaydev Unadkat to stop the hosts from finishing strongly.

The four-wicket haul helped him go to the top of the wicket-tally. The right-arm pacer is now the proud owner of the Purple Cap.

On being awarded the Purple Cap, Tye became emotional, and in a choked voice, he said he always enjoyed playing cricket in India.

“I love coming down here and putting on a show for the crowd. We have a great bunch of guys,” Tye said.

Tye’s stunning performance, however, went in vain, as Royals beat the Kings XI by 15 runs.

Batting first, the Royals rode on Jos Buttler’s third consecutive fifty to post 158 for eight. In reply, the Kings XI ended on 143 for seven. KL Rahul waged a lone battle, scoring an unbeaten 95 but lack of support from other end did not help Punjab’s cause.

Tye has been in the news for his exploits in the IPL since last season. In 2017, he made a memorable debut while representing Gujarat Lions. The pacer had picked up a hat-trick against Rising Pune Supergiant, dismissing Ankit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary and Shardul Thakur to end with figures of 5/17.

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Early this year, Kings XI shelled out a whopping Rs 7.4 crore in the auction to secure Tye’s services.