3 father-son duos to have been part of the IPL
It was a proud moment for Sachin Tendulkar when his son Arjun Tendulkar made his IPL debut against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 16, 2023. Sachin is currently the icon player for Mumbai Indians and Arjun, after making strides in domestic cricket recently, made his debut for the Mumbai Indians (MI).
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Sachin and Arjun are not the only father-son duo to have been a part of the IPL. There have been other instances of both the father and the son, or sons, involved in the league. While Sachin and Arjun are unique in that they both have been players in the IPL, other instances involve the father being part of a team's setup in an officiating or coaching role, or even as broadcasters.
Here, we look at three father-son duos to have been part of the IPL, in different capacities:
#1 Geoff Marsh and his sons - Shaun Marsh and Mitchell Marsh
Shaun Marsh took the inaugural season of the IPL by storm by winning the Orange Cap. He scored 616 runs in IPL 2008 from 11 innings and announced his arrival on the big stage. Marsh thereafter played nine more seasons for the Punjab franchise and scored 2,477 runs in 69 IPL innings at an average of almost 40.
His brother Mitchell Marsh made his IPL debut in 2010 for Deccan Chargers and featured in three matches that season. Since then, Mitchell Marsh had not been a regular feature in the IPL but is starting to make an impact now. He has played six IPL seasons and is currently a part of the Delhi Capitals squad.
Their father, Geoff Marsh, was the coach of the now-defunct Pune Warriors team in 2011. The team did not enjoy much success and won only four of their 14 games, with one match ending without a result.
The Pune Warriors team finished second last on the points table. Mitchell Marsh was a part of the Pune Warriors team in 2011 that was coached by his father and featured in five matches that season.
#2 Krishnamachari Srikkanth and Srikkanth Anirudha
Srikkanth Anirudha was a part of the Chennai Super Kings squad from 2008 and featured in 19 matches till 2013. He did not taste much success in the IPL and scored just 136 runs in 13 innings at an average of only 17.
He scored a solitary half-century in his IPL career. Anirudha did not get a consistent run in IPL cricket during his tenure with CSK. He played a solitary match for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014 when he scored just three runs.
Kris Srikkanth was the brand ambassador of the CSK franchise in its first season, i.e. 2008. Thereafter, Srikkanth was associated with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014 when he was named ambassador for the said franchise.
#3 Sunil Gavaskar and Rohan Gavaskar
Rohan Gavaskar was a part of the KKR squad in 2010 when he featured in two matches. He scored just two runs in the said games and thereafter did not take the field in future seasons.
Sunil Gavaskar, on the other hand, has been associated with the IPL since its first season as a commentator. He was also appointed as the interim president of the BCCI to oversee the IPL 2014 season by the Supreme Court of India.
Post-2014, Sunil Gavaskar continues to be a popular commentator. In recent times, Rohan Gavaskar has followed his father's footsteps and is a well-known commentator and a sharp analyst of the game.