'My father didn't like it at all,' Punjab Kings' new addition Kuldeep Sen recalls secretly playing cricket

New Delhi [India], February 3 (ANI): Punjab Kings' new addition to the squad, Kuldeep Sen, who joined the franchise in the IPL 2025 auction, is excited by the challenge and wants to make the season memorable for himself and the team.
Sen, a cricket enthusiast since childhood, started playing the sport at the young age of 15. His commitment and grit helped him make his ODI debut for India in 2022. However, during the initial training days, no one in his family except his mother knew he played cricket since his father never liked the sport.
"No one in my family knew much about cricket. Since I come from a very middle-class family, they did not know much about playing cricket, where one should train, etc. Everybody liked watching cricket, but my father didn't like it at all. He started watching cricket only after I started playing; otherwise, he wouldn't be a fan. When I started playing cricket, no one in my family knew about it except my mother," revealed the right-arm fast bowler as quoted by a Punjab Kings press release.
Financial constraints only added to Kuldeep's struggles in the early years; his selection in the Madhya Pradesh team for domestic cricket in 2019 not only garnered his father's support but also helped him with finances. Since then, he has also made his international debut for India in 2022 against Bangladesh.
Recalling his India call-up moment, Sen said, "I was in NCA when my call for India came. I didn't know that I was going to be selected. My friend at Rajasthan Royals called me and told me I was selected. I was sleeping at that time and was unaware of my call-up. I couldn't sleep the night before my match against Bangladesh was scheduled...I was also very excited to play the match. Playing for the country is still the best thing that has happened to me, and I will never forget it."
Sen is now all set to represent PBKS in IPL this year and revealed that it is even more special since back in 2018, his first-ever IPL trial was for the Kings.
"I was training in Bangalore and was sitting with my friends. I had this gut feeling, even before the auction started, that I would be acquired by Punjab Kings. I told my friends about this as well. I gave my first IPL trial for Punjab Kings only in 2018. So, it was an inside feeling that this year, I would be selected by Punjab. I was excited that I am going to a great team and will have a new experience with the new team," Kuldeep said while recalling his IPL auction moment.
Kuldeep will also be reuniting with his Yuzvendra Chahal teammate Yuzvendra Chahal. He revealed how fun-loving the latter is and will be looking forward to learning from him.
"I have been with Yuzi bhai for three years. He is a fun and humorous person and makes everybody laugh on the ground and in the hotel. He is a very pure-hearted person. You can talk to him anytime, and you get to learn a lot of things. But whenever one meets him, he will try to irritate you for fun," said Kuldeep as the release concluded. (ANI)