IPL 2020 auction: ‘Kai Po Che’ actor wins IPL contract with Mumbai Indians
The 21-year-old paceman Digvijay Deshmukh was bought by MI for Rs 20 lakh at the IPL 2020 players auction in Kolkata on Thursday (December 19). Digvijay had acted in ‘Kai Po Che’ in 2013. He character was named Ali
FollowBengaluru: A boy who acted in Bollywood movie ‘Kai Po Che’ has won an Indian Premier League (IPL) contract with four-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI).
The 21-year-old right-arm paceman Digvijay Deshmukh was bought by MI for Rs 20 lakh at the IPL 2020 players auction in Kolkata on Thursday (December 19). Digvijay had acted in ‘Kai Po Che’ in 2013. He character was named Ali.
Also read: Full list of Mumbai Indians players after IPL auction
“Yes, I am Digvijay and I acted as Ali in that movie Kai Po Che. But I was never an actor and always a cricketer. Now I am slowly realising my dream,” Digvijay told news agency PTI.
“I had gone to play an U-14 school tournament in Mumbai and one of the ADs (assistant director) of the film selected me for audition and then I got the role. Everyone was very nice. I remember playing a lot of cricket with Sushant (Singh Rajput) and Rajkumar Rao. The character was somewhat like me, shy, reticent,” he added.
Also read: Full list of players sold at IPL 2020 auction
Digvijay made his Ranji Trophy for Maharashtra against Jammu and Kashmir in Pune on December 17, two days before the IPL auction. He ended the game with six wickets (2/15, 4/46) and also scored two and 83. However, Maharashtra lost the match.
So far, he has played one first-class game and seven Twenty20s. Recently, he featured in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament.
Stating that he is a cricketer and not an actor, he recalled the times when he used to get angry when people referred to him as an artiste. “People would refer to me as an actor and I would be very angry. Mujhe gussa aata thaa. I did Kai Po Che because a lot of scenes were just about playing cricket. But staying outdoor for four months hampered my cricket and I didn't want that to happen ever again.”
At the IPL 2020 auction, MI bought six players. The most expensive buy was Australian paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile, for Rs 8 crore. Now, they have a squad of 24 members.
