It’s a proud moment for us all at the Bahrain Cricket Federation as one of the key members of our men’s team Sathaiya Veerapathiran has been recruited by the Indian Premier League franchise Gujarat Titans!
Sathaiya was a key part of our attack in the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup where he almost led us to a come-from-behind victory against the full International Cricket Council (ICC) team Ireland, smashing 33 not out off just 14 balls.
Bahrain head coach and former India international, Aashish Kapoor, was instrumental in recruiting Veerapathiran, who bowls right-arm medium pace, for the Titans after seeing him produce a commanding all-round performance in a practice match in Bahrain, ahead of the tournament in Oman.
Currently, the spin coach and head of talent scouts for the Titans, Kapoor, who played Test and one-day international (ODI) matches for India and has been associated with other IPL franchises as well as having been involved in India’s junior cricket set-up, decided on the spot to consider Veerapathiran for a slot in his team’s support bowling line-up.
Bahrain Cricket Federation (BCF) president Hatim Dadabai said, “We are very proud of Sathaiya. His selection as a net bowler shows the potential we have in the kingdom, the kind of talent that can be unearthed as we make further progress in the cricketing sphere on the island. We wish him all the best and hope that next year, he could end up actually playing for the Titans in the IPL.”