Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
Indian domestic cricketer Bipul Sharma announced retirement from Indian cricket. It is to be noted that Bipul hangs up his boots after a career that witnessed him taking 84 wickets and scoring 1203 runs in 105 T20 matches. Bipul also had a fair bit of experience playing in the IPL as he took 17 wickets in 33 matches and chipped in with 187 runs at an impressive strike rate of 152.03 including an unbeaten 35*.
While Bipul was regarded as one of the finest talents in the domestic circuit, having played for Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim, he now intends to play for USA in the future, having already moved there. Making his List A debut way back in 2004, the 38-year-old also has 3012 runs and 126 wickets in 59 first-class matches. Overall, in the white-ball format, Bipul has 1620 List-A runs and 96 wickets.
A member of the IPL-winning Sunrisers Hyderabad contingent in 2016, Bipul also played for the Punjab Kings in the cash-rich league but is best remembered in the memories of the cricket fanatics for taking the wicket of AB de Villiers in the final of the 2016 edition. The Orange Army had won against Royal Challengers Bangalore by 8 runs to lift the title that year.
"25 years, I can’t believe I’ve been playing so long. Finally, the day has arrived for me to bid adieu to the game that I have cherished and loved all my life," Bipul wrote in an Instagram post.
"The journey has been remarkable and it would not have been possible without the blessings of the Almighty, unflinching support of my family - my mother, my uncle, and my wife who have always stood by me," he added.
"I would also like to thank my coaches, mentors, peers and all my friends and well-wishers for the support and encouragement I have received over the years," he further said.
The complete post can be seen here:
Bipul isn't the first cricketer to migrate to the United States after retiring from Indian cricket. Most famously, former India U-19 World Cup-winning skipper Unmukt Chand also migrated to the States along with several others from the Asian countries.