Raj Singh Bawa, one of the stars of the U-19 Cricket World Cup 2022 was never really interested in cricket as a child. He was a good student in school scoring good grades till he was 13. Back during that time, Dharamshala hosted an international match where Raj's father, Sukhwinder Singh Bawa, decided to take his son to witness the game live.

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He was a topper in his school: Sukhwinder Bawa on Raj Bawa

Little did anyone know that this match is going to change the life of the teenager. Slowly Raj started shifting his concentration from studies to cricket. It didn't go unnoticed by his father. Sukhwinder once shared with PTI, He started playing when he was 11 or 12 years old before that he wasn't interested in it. He liked to listen and dance to Punjabi songs on the television. "He went on tour with me to Dharamshala and saw a lot of intense matches being played out. After that, he started sitting with me in team meetings and his interest in cricket arose from there. After that, he started playing seriously".

On being asked aout Raj's studies, Sukhwinder said, "He was a topper in his school. Even in class ninth, he came second in school."

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Sporting skills actually run in their genes. Tarlochan Singh Bawa, father of Sukhwinder Singh Bawa played with Balbir Singh Senior, Leslie Claudius, and Keshav Dutt to clinch the gold medal in the 1948 London Olympics. Sukhwinder himself was the U-19 coach of Yuvraj Singh. And now, Raj Bawa is carrying the family's legacy.

I used to imitate Yuvraj Singh while batting: Raj on his favorite

Raj saw his idol Yuvi Paaji training with his father as a child. Soon he started getting inspired by the great Yuvraj Singh. Raj shared, "My father trained Yuvraj Singh. I used to watch him when I was a kid. I used to imitate Yuvraj Singh while batting, I watched his batting videos. He's my role model." Raj even wears the number 12 jersey, the same as his role model.

Yuvraj influenced Raj to such an extent that even after being a right-hander, he started playing like the southpaw. Sukhwinder further said, "When he was a kid, Raj kept on watching Yuvraj, who could come for his nets at the academy and for kids, the first hero makes a lasting impression. So, when Raj picked that bat he picked from the left but everything else — bowling, throwing, etc he would do from the right hand. I tried to correct him but when I would turn around, he again held the bat with a left-handed stance. So, then I let it be."

Raj is now at the beginning of a very long journey. It will be quite exciting for him to live these days.

Yograj Singh, father of former Team India batsman Yuvraj Singh, made a big revelation about how he had reached Kapil Dev's house with a gun once in anger to kill him for dropping him from the team.

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Yograj Singh often remains in the headlines due to his statements. Often Yograj also refreshes old memories with his statements.

'He dropped me for no reason'

While talking to Unfiltered by Samdish's, Yogra Singh said, "When Kapil Dev became captain of India, North Zone, and Haryana, he dropped me for no reason. My wife wanted me to ask Kapil questions. I told her that I would teach this bloody man a lesson. I took my pistol out, I went to Kapil’s house in Sector 9."

"I want to put a bullet through your head, but I am not doing it because you have a very pious mother, who is standing here," 

'I never forgave Bishan Singh Bedi'

“These guys, including Bishan Singh Bedi, they plotted against me. I never forgave Bishan Singh Bedi. The man died on his bed,” Yograj said.

“When I was dropped I spoke Ravindra Chadha, one of the selectors. He told me that Bishan Singh Bedi (the chief selector) didn’t wanted to pick me because they thought I was Sunil Gavaskar’s man and because I was playing cricket in Mumbai. I was very close to Gavaskar.” 

Yograj played 7 international matches

Like Yuvraj Singh, his father Yograj Singh could not become a big and successful cricketer. He wanted to make a career in cricket but he was disappointed. 

Yograj's career was limited to just 7 matches. He took one wicket while playing one test for India. He also took 4 wickets in six ODI matches. 

Yograj made his ODI debut in 1980 and his Test debut in 1981. However, his international career also came to an end in the year 1981 itself.

In India, cricket and films have great admirers across the country, and time and again, we saw how cricketers begin their second innings with the silver screen. There are not just one but many players of Team India who have acted in films of regional languages ​​including Bollywood. So let's take a look at the top 8 Indian cricketers who acted in movies.

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Cricketers who acted in movies

8. S. Sreesanth

Former Indian cricketer S Sreesanth was arrested on charges of spot-fixing during IPL and after the ban, the cricketer tried his luck in the acting. From 'Aksar 2' to 'Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal', Sreesanth appeared in five films.

7. Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh, who took 400 wickets in Test cricket and more than 250 wickets in ODI cricket, is one of the top cricketers who acted in movies. Harbhajan was seen in the film 'Bha Ji in Problem', made in the co-production of Akshar Kumar, and 'Friendship'. Apart from this, he was seen in a TV show named 'Roadies Rising'.

6. Vinod Kambli

Former Team India player and Sachin Tendulkar's childhood friend Vinod Kambli has also made his mark on the big screen. Vinod Kambli worked in the film 'Annarth' starring Sanjay Dutt and Sunil Shetty, 'Pal Pal Dil Ke Saat' and 'Bettanagere'. 

5. Shikhar Dhawan

Cricketer Shikhar Dhawan made a cameo appearance in the Bollywood film 'Double XL', and it was a surprise for many for sure. The film features Huma Qureshi and Sonakshi Sinha in the lead roles.

Also Read: Most Partnership runs for India in all formats

4. Ajay Jadeja 

Team India's former all-rounder player Ajay Jadeja, appeared in several films after retiring from cricket in 2003. He began his film career with the movie 'Khel' and went on to act in films like 'Pal Pal Dil Ke Saath'. Apart from this, he also appeared in the reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.

3. Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh Yuvraj Singh played a very small role as the voice of a character in the 2008 animated movie, Jumbo. He has worked with his father Yograj Singh in several Punjabi films as a child actor. He played a cameo in a Punjabi movie 'Mehndi Shagna Di' at the age of 11. 

2. Sunil Gavaskar 

Veteran cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, who became the first to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket, also worked in a Marathi film. The name of this film was 'Savil Premachi'. Apart from this, he was also seen as a guest artist in the Bollywood movie 'Maalamaal' starring Naseeruddin Shah.

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1. Kapil Dev

Fondly known as the Haryana Hurricane, Kapil Dev, the Indian captain who led the team to a World Cup victory in 1983, has starred in a host of movies including '83', 'Iqbal', 'Mujhse Shaadi Karogii', 'Stumped', and 'Dillagi Yeh Dillagi'.

The ICC T20 World Cup 2024 will be played in America and West Indies from June 2 to 29. Over the years, we have seen the best Cricket-playing nations around the world compete for the trophy. The best and most dangerous players in the world, like Yuvraj Singh, Gayle, AB de Villiers, and Rohit Sharma have scored plenty of runs and struck an ample amount of sixes in the history of the T20 Cricket World Cup. Chris Gayle (63) has struck the most number of sixes in the history of the ICC T20 World Cup. So, it's time we look at the list of top 5 players with the most sixes in the competition.

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Most sixes in the T20 World Cup

1. Chris Gayle (WI) - 63 sixes

It's almost rare to find a list of batting records in T20 that doesn't feature the Universe Boss, Chris Gayle. He has dominated the format in every sense. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest T20 batsmen of all time. Gayle has smashed 63 sixes in 33 World Cup matches. Overall, he has scored 965 runs in the T20 World Cup at an average of 34.46 and a brilliant strike rate of 142.75, including two centuries. 

2. Rohit Sharma (IND) - 35 sixes

The current Indian captain has earned the nickname, 'Hitman' for solid reasons. He has been one of the greatest hitters in the history of Indian Cricket. The way Rohit Sharma times the ball is second to none. Rohit Sharma ranks second on the list, having struck 35 sixes in 39 matches in the T20 World Cup. Throughout his T20 World Cup career, Rohit has accumulated 963 runs at an average of 34.39 and a strike rate of 127.88. He is set to lead the Indian Team in the 2024 Twenty-20 World Cup.

3. Jos Buttler (ENG) - 33 sixes

The England captain Jos Buttler led his team to glory in the 2022 T20 Cricket World Cup. He struck 225 runs in that edition and led his side from the front. Buttler is third on the list of most sixes in T20 World Cup matches, having hit the ball 33 times out of the ground in 27 matches. He will get the opportunity to extend his tally in the upcoming World Cup and will be aiming to produce another beautiful campaign, especially after a disastrous ODI World Cup campaign.

4. Yuvraj Singh (IND) - 33 sixes

Talking about Sixes and not mentioning Yuvraj Singh would be a crime. The left-handed punisher has had a brilliant professional cricket career and he dominated the T20 format for some time. He has always stepped up in big games and won India plenty of matches. Yuvraj hit 33 sixes in 31 matches in the T20 World Cup and out of those 33, six sixes were struck in one over off Stuart Broad in the inaugural edition of the competition. He struck a 12-ball half-century and produced history In Durban.

5. Shane Watson (AUS) - 31 sixes

One of the greatest all-rounders of the game, Shane Watson was a treat to watch. He could strike all kinds of bowlers for fun. The right-handed batter smashed 31 maximums in 24 T20 World Cup matches for Australia. He comes fifth in our list of most sixes in the Twenty-20 World Cup. Watson participated in six editions of the T20 World Cup. He missed most of the matches of the inaugural edition of the competition in 2007 due to injury but impressed everyone with his ability to strike the ball so easily in the following editions. His strike rate of 140.94 is an example of his aggressive nature. 

2nd April 2011, a date that Indian Cricket team fans will never forget in their lifetime. That night in Mumbai was wrapped in history as MS Dhoni's men lifted the ICC World Cup 2011 beating Sri Lanka in the final. Indian captain MS Dhoni won the Player of the Match award for his 94 while Gautam Gambhir (97) played one of the greatest knocks of that World Cup. As Indian cricket team fans celebrate the 13th anniversary of India winning the ICC World Cup for the second time in their history, we take a look at all the players who were part of that team which won the title.

1. Virender Sehwag

Sehwag, the deadly opener who hit every first ball of the ICC World Cup 2011 for four in five matches, was unfortunately dismissed for a duck in the final. Lasith Malinga trapped him in front of the wicket in the first over. However, Sehwag played a pivotal role in India reaching the finals as he scored 380 runs at a strike rate of 122.58 in the tournament. Post the World Cup success, Sehwag represented India till 2013 and kept on playing in the Indian Premier League before announcing his retirement from all forms of cricket on 20 October 2015. He was appointed as the mentor of the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in 2016 and performed the role till 2018. Sehwag now is a commentator and his Hindi commentary is one of the most loved and entertaining things in cricket now. 

2. Sachin Tendulkar 

The God of Indian Cricket, for whom the ICC World Cup 2011 was more special for the players and the fans, who was carried on the shoulders by Virat Kohli and others after the World Cup was India's highest run-getter at the tournament with 482 runs. However, Sachin could only add 18 from 14 balls in the final and was eventually dismissed by Lasith Malinga. Post the World Cup, Sachin played for two more years and then retired on 16 November 2013 after playing his 200th test. Post-retirement Sachin briefly appeared for commentary for Star Sports but mostly avoided public appearances. However, since his retirement, Sachin has been playing the role of a mentor of the Mumbai Indians team.

3. Gautam Gambhir 

Gambhir, the hero of the ICC World Cup final for India, scored the most important 97 runs and built a partnership with Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni after the early dismissal of Sachin and Sehwag in that final. After a successful international and IPL career, Gambhir announced his retirement on December 4, 2018. After that, he appeared as a commentator for Star Sports. Gambhir has served as a Member of Lok Sabha as well from the Indian political party BJP. The stylish southpaw now is a mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. Earlier he served as the mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants as well.

4. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli, the only active international player from that 2011 ICC World Cup winning team, now is a legend of the game and has taken it to another level. Playing at his first-ever World Cup, Kohli scared a crucial knock of 35 from 49 balls in the final to stitch a partnership with Gautam Gambhir. In that World Cup Kohli scored 282 runs and since then has broken multiple records playing for the "Men in Blue". Kohli now holds the record for most ODI hundreds (50), most T20I runs, most fifties in T20Is, most international man of the series awards and many other records. 

5. MS Dhoni

The captain of that World Cup-winning team is still going strong in the Indian Premier League even at the age of 42. Although the former Indian captain could only score 241 runs in the whole tournament, his unbeaten 97 runs in the final is regarded as one of the most important knocks in Indian cricket history. After retiring from international cricket on 15th August 2020, Dhoni kept on featuring for Chennai Super Kings in Indian Super Kings.

6. Yuvraj Singh 

Yuvraj, one of the most influential white-ball cricketers in Indian Cricket history was the player of the tournament in the 2011 World Cup. Yuvraj scored 362 runs with the bat and also took 15 wickets in the tournament. Post his retirement on 10 June 2019. Yuvraj started his own charity "YouWeCan" in 2015 which went on to become YouWeCan Ventures later. Yuvraj also created his chain of sports academies named Yuvraj Singh Centres of Excellence. He has appeared in the Road Safety World T20 series as well.

7. Suresh Raina 

Raina was another important clog in the Indian team which went on to win the ICC World Cup 2011. He played some crucial knocks during the World Cup along with some outstanding fielding efforts. However, Raina only played in four games in that World Cup. He retired on the same day as MS Dhoni's retirement. Raina now does commentary for Star Sports and also plays some T20 tournaments as well.

8. Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh was one of the key bowlers for the Indian team which won the T20 and ODI World Cup in 2007 and 2011 respectively. Singh took 9 wickets in the 2011 edition of the World Cup at an economy of 4.48. Harbhajan announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on 24 December 2021. After that, he started playing in occasional T20 tournaments and is an active commentator for Star Sports. 

9. Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan was the joint-highest wicket-taker of the ICC World Cup 2021 with 21 wickets. Khan was top-class throughout the whole tournament and provided breakthroughs whenever MS Dhoni brought him into bowling. Zaheer announced his retirement on  15 October 2015. Before his retirement, in 2014.  Khan founded a fitness and sports company ProSport Fitness and Services. Zaheer currently is the Global Head of Cricket Development at Mumbai Indians. Along with that, he works as a commentator on Star Sports as well.

10. Munaf Patel 

Munaf Patel was one of the unsung heroes of the Indian Cricket team which won the world cup in 2011. In 8 games in the World Cup, Munaf claimed 11 wickets and had an economy rate of 4.55 in the final as well. Patel announced his retirement in November 2018. Though he was seen doing Hindi commentary briefly, Munaf has not been in public in recent years.

11. S.Sreesanth

Sreesanth played only one match in the ICC World Cup 2011 as he replaced an injured Ashish Nehra in the final against Sri Lanka in Mumbai. Sadly, he was not been able to take any wickets in the final. A lot happened for Sreesanth post the World Cup as he was accused of spot-fixing in 2013 and was banned from cricket which later was reduced to a seven-year ban. Sreesanth then appeared in many TV Shows and movies as well. After serving the ban, he returned to domestic cricket and then announced his retirement in March 2022. Sreesanth was last seen playing in the Legends League Cricket tournament.

Picking up a hat trick in any form of cricket is not easy but in the IPL, 19 players have successfully taken hat-tricks in 16 seasons of the competition. This has been achieved 22 times in the Indian Premier League. Rashid Khan was the last bowler to pick up a hat-trick as he achieved that feat in the 2023 edition. Since, the 2024 edition is all set to start from 22nd March, it's time we look at the list of players who hold the IPL stats of taking a hat-trick in the competition's history.

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First Hat-trick taker in the IPL

Lakshmipathy Balaji picked up the first-ever IPL hat-trick in the inaugural season of the tournament for Chennai Super Kings. He took three back-to-back wickets in the last over of the match against Kings XI Punjab and helped his side win the match.

Bowlers who have taken multiple hat-tricks in the IPL

Many bowlers have registered their names in the history books of IPL by achieving this rare feat but Amit Mishra & Yuvraj Singh are the only two players to achieve that feat more than two times.

Amit Mishra has taken three hat-tricks, which is the most by any bowler in the IPL. He achieved this feat in the 2008, 2011, and 2013 seasons, playing for the Delhi Daredevils, Deccan Chargers, and Sunrisers Hyderabad, respectively.

On the other side, Yuvraj Singh has taken two hat-tricks and both of it came while playing for KXIP in the 2009 edition of IPL against Royal Challengers Bangalore and Deccan Chargers.

Also Read: "I am excited and nervous at the same time. It feels like I am going to make my debut again," - Rishabh Pant on IPL 2024 comeback

IPL Stats: List of hat-tricks in IPL history

Rohit Sharma, the Indian skipper also has an IPL hat-trick to his name. In 2009, he dismissed Abhishek Nayar, Harbhajan Singh, and JP Duminy of Mumbai Indians in three consecutive deliveries to achieve this feat while playing for the Deccan Chargers.

There were 3 hat-tricks taken in the IPL 2017 season. Jaydev Unadkat, Andrew Tye, and Samuel Badree achieved that special landmark. Samuel Badree had the best spell among them as he picked up 4 wickets for only 9 runs in 4 overs.

In the 2023 IPL edition, Rashid Khan registered his hat-trick against the Kolkata Knight Riders and became the second IPL captain to take a hat-trick. In the 17th over, he scalped the wicket of Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Shardul Thakur respectively.