It’s quite interesting to see how things fold in sports. It’s been a long since Virat Kohli has lifted the U19 world cup trophy and since then he hasn’t turned back and today is celebrated as one of the biggest names in the Cricketing world.
But today’s story is a bit different, it’s not about Virat Kohli it’s about his U19 Teammate who is set to make his officiating debut as an umpire in the upcoming IPL Edition. Tanmay Srivastava who was Kohli’s teammate during times of the U19 World Cup has officially begged a contract to umpire the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League which is scheduled to start from 22 March 2025.
Srivastava is still in touch with Virat, whom he might get to meet in this IPL.”I am still in touch with Virat, but I had to decide for myself and have a practical outlook,” he revealed.
Tanmay Srivastava: From a Franchise Player to Certified BCCI Umpire
Tanmay Srivastava, who was India’s top-scorer in their victorious 2008 U19 World Cup Final against South Africa, will become the first player in IPL history to both play and officiate a match. After representing Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in his IPL Career, Srivastava has led a new career path and now has qualified as a BCCI-certified umpire.
The U19 Indian triumph in 2008 wasn’t all about Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, it was the contribution of many others. All stalwarts have tracked down to different paths and as of today only kohli and Jadeja remain active in the cricket leagues.
Tanmay made his IPL Debut with Kings XI Punjab in the inception year 2008 but later changed the career trajectory after seeing limited opportunities in the franchise as he just scored 7 runs for the three innings he played for the team.
For now, he hasn’t taken on on-field duties this season. While most players from the batch have recently retired or are no longer active in the sport, Srivastava chose to retire as a player but not from cricket. He pursued an umpiring career and quickly advanced after clearing the BCCI’s Level 2 course in two years.
A true player never leaves the field—just changes the game-UPCA
“A true player never leaves the field—just changes the game. Wishing Tanmay Srivastava the best as he dons a new hat with the same passion!” UPCA wrote on their official X account.
Tanmay ended his cricketing career at the age of 30 while he was still the captain of the Uttarakhand team, having previously played for Uttar Pradesh. He decided to try something else in cricket other than being a player. The decision was understandably a hard one. While Tanmay hasn’t yet been given an on-field role in the IPL, he is keeping his fingers crossed.
I told Rajiv Shukla sir that I wanted to do something else in cricket other than playing. He was a bit taken aback since I was still just 30. Then we discussed what the options could be. I did my Level 2 course in coaching in NCA, but I knew the best I could become was fielding coach. I decided to focus on umpiring,” Srivastava said.
He decided to take up umpiring, studied for its exams while also juggling different cricketing jobs, like being a talent scout for RCB and being one of the coaches at the National Cricket Academy.
“Studying for umpiring is tough. I used to stay up at nights. You have to study a lot to understand the laws and its implications,” he said.
