Sher-e-Punjab T20: ‘Dadu passed away last night,’ reveals Ludhiana’s Krish after guiding team to semis
Mohali, Sep 12 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Ludhiana Lions’ medium pacer Krish Bhagat paid an emotional tribute to his grandfather, Bhagat Chunni Lal, after powering his team into the semifinals of the Sher-E-Punjab T20 League.
Bhagat picked two wickets as the Lions defeated Amritsar Soormas by five wickets in a crucial clash at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali. He later dedicated his wickets to his late grandfather Chunni Lal, who was also a former Punjab minister.
“Dadu passed away last night. He inspired me a lot, so I dedicated this wicket to him. He came from Pakistan and when he arrived in India, he did not even have a place to stay. His journey has inspired me a lot, and that is why I dedicated the wicket to him,” he said.
Krish, who made his IPL debut for Mumbai Indians in 2026, began his journey in cricket at age 5. He comes from a family involved in the sports manufacturing business, as he developed an early interest in the game after seeing bats at the family factory.
“I was only five when I started playing cricket. Whenever I used to go to my family’s sports manufacturing factory, there were bats there, and I used to get fascinated by them. I started insisting that I wanted to play cricket, so my family put me in an academy, and I kept playing,” he said.
The medium pacer further revealed that his family gave him complete backing to do whatever he chose and never put pressure on him to study. “My family never put any pressure on me. They told me to commit 100 per cent to whatever I was doing,” he said.
Krish emphasised that, when he was growing up, his love was only for cricket, not for any other sport. “I never really tried any other sport. There is such a big craze for cricket in India, and I enjoyed playing it with my friends. I used to go to the park and play cricket. As I started playing competitive cricket, I knew this was the sport I wanted to pursue,” he added.
The MI bowler then opened up on his experience of playing in the Sher-E-Punjab T20 League, revealing that the state league has given him valuable experience, especially when it comes to adapting to different conditions and match situations.
“I am learning how to adapt to different situations and conditions. We have back-to-back matches and the pitch is being used a lot, so its behaviour keeps changing. Learning how to adapt to the conditions has been one of my biggest takeaways from this league,” he said.
He also highlighted that his focus remains on helping his team win, rather than any personal goals. “I did not come into the league with any individual goal. I just wanted to help my team win. I still want to take the team all the way,” he further said.
The rising cricketer further revealed that India all-rounder Hardik Pandya and South Africa legend Jacques Kallis remain his idols. “My idols are Hardik Pandya and Jacques Kallis. I continue to take inspiration from both of them,” he concluded.
