Rajasthan Royals pacer Chetan Sakariya's father passes away after contracting COVID-19

In tragic news, Rajasthan Royals pacer Chetan Sakariya’s father Kanjibhai breathed his last on Sunday at a private hospital in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar. The heartbreaking news comes a day after the rookie pacer visited his father at the hospital after the postponement of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.

His father, a tempo driver, was reportedly on ventilator support as his health deteriorated after testing positive for COVID-19. Tragically, Chetan Sakariya lost his brother Rahul, who committed suicide, a few months ago.

“It pains us so much to confirm that Mr Kanjibhai Sakariya lost his battle with Covid-19 earlier today. We're in touch with Chetan and will provide all possible support to him and his family in this difficult time,” Rajasthan Royals tweeted on Sunday.

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Sakariya, in an interview, revealed that he was informed last week that his father had tested positive for COVID-19. He said he was lucky to have received part payment for IPL 2021 and immediately transferred his IPL salary to help his family in difficult times.

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“I was lucky because I had received my part payment from Rajasthan Royals a few days ago. I straight away transferred money back home, and that is helping my family the most in my toughest time,” Sakariya told The Indian Express.

After the postponement of IPL 2021, Sakariya spent most of his time at the hospital and was taking care of his father’s needs.

"I am the only member in my community who has earned so much. My mother doesn’t know how many zeros are there in crores. Our first priority is to see my father back and then build that home. For that, IPL should happen.”