Club gives 14 memberships to current and ex-cricketers
MUMBAI: The MIG Cricket Club, where once the legendary Sachin Tendulkar trained, on Saturday gave honorary life membership to four members of India’s 2024 T20 World Cup-winning team – Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube and Yashasvi Jaiswal after a meeting of its managing committee.

The Indian team’s vice-captain during the tournament, Hardik, who has now moved to Mumbai and stays in Bandra, and his brother Krunal Pandya, who too has been given a life membership by the club, train regularly at MIG CC. Hardik, who took 11 wickets in eight matches @17.36 and an economy rate of 7.64, including a match-deciding final over of the final, and scored 144 runs@48.00, with a strike rate of 151.57, to play a key role in India’s T20 World Cup win in the West Indies and USA in June, captained the Mumbai Indians in IPL-2024.

Yadav smashed 199 runs in eight matches@28.42 in the tournament, and took a brilliant running catch at long-off to dismiss South Africa’s big-hitter David Miller in the final. Dube, who scored 133 runs in eight matches@22.16 in the T20 World Cup, represents MIG in local cricket. Jaiswal didn’t get a game in the T20 World Cup, but scored more than 700 runs against England in a Test series in India earlier this year.

MIG CC has also given honorary life membership to India cricketers KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane (trains at MIG a lot), Prithvi Shaw and former India cricketers-the Pathan brothers- Irfan and Yusuf, Nilesh Kulkarni and Subroto Banerjee, who is currently a national selector, former India women’s cricketer Sulakshana Naik, who is presently a member of the BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) and billiards player Kamal Chawla.

Overall, the well-known Bandra-situated club, which is a force to reckon with in local cricket, on Saturday awarded life memberships to as many as 14 cricketers (15 sportspersons). Amongst MIG CC’s existing life members are Tendulkar and Jemimah Rodrigues.

“MIG CC is delighted to announce that the club has granted honorary life membership to all the Indian cricket and billiards players. We are proud to extend this honorary life membership to our cricketing heroes. This prestigious recognition honours their dedication, achievements and contributions to the sport of cricket and billiards in India,” MIG general secretary Shrikant Shetty told TOI.

Shetty stated: “Proposed by cricket secretary Akshay Borkar and seconded by general secretary Shrikant Shetty, the proposal was approved by the club’s board of trustees and the managing committee, reflecting the commitment to celebrating the excellence and legacy of Indian cricket. As honorary members, these cricketers will enjoy access to the club’s state of the art facilities, participate in exclusive events and engage with the club’s vibrant community.”

“Their accomplishments have inspired millions, and we are honoured to welcome them to the MIG CC family. This initiative reaffirms our support for the sport and its champions,” said MIG cricket secretary Akshay Borkar.

“The honorary life memberships are intended to foster a closer connection between the club and the cricketing fraternity, providing a platform for interaction, mentorship, and the promotion of cricket at all levels. The club looks forward to hosting these distinguished athletes and celebrating their ongoing contributions to the game,” Shetty concluded in his statement.