"I had grabbed Aakash Chopra by the collar to pull him closer" - Shoaib Akhtar shares lesser-known incident from IPL's inaugural season
Former cricketers Shoaib Akhtar and Harbhajan Singh recently appeared on Sportskeeda's Direct Hit, where they tested each other's knowledge of the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Akhtar, who was with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the tournament's first edition, described how he once grabbed teammate Aakash Chopra by the collar. He revealed that while being pumped up after claiming a wicket, he pulled the ex-India opener's jersey to get him closer while celebrating.
He suggested that Chopra was a little taken aback by the move and urged him not to injure his ribs in the process. Akhtar said:
"I remember in that game I was charged up after taking a wicket and had grabbed Aakash Chopra by the collar to pull him closer. He then requested that I be careful not to break his ribs while doing that. After that, I also jumped on Salman Butt while celebrating."
Akhtar made a significant impact in his maiden IPL game. The pacer took four wickets in the contest against Delhi Daredevils and was adjudged as the Player of the Match.
"Sohail Tanvir was wearing his Purple Cap even at the airport" - Shoaib Akhtar
The 46-year-old added that he still remembers Sohail Tanvir winning the Purple Cap in the first-ever season of the Indian Premier League.
Akhtar stated that the left-arm pacer was even wearing the cap at the airport when they were leaving India after the competition.
"I remember this because he had worn the purple cap even at the airport when we are going back. I asked him why he was wearing that cap. That is when he told me that the highest wicket-taker of the season is awarded the Purple Cap."
Shoaib Akhtar featured in three matches for KKR in the league's maiden season, in which he managed to claim five wickets. It is worth mentioning that no Pakistani players have featured in the tournament since the first edition.
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