IPL: Bradd Hogg recalls how Pravin Tambe's speech inspired Rajasthan Royals players amid 2013 match-fixing scandal

The year 2013 remains the darkest period in the history of the Indian Premier League. The match-fixing scandal saw the reputation of several players and officials being tarnished. For Rajasthan Royals, the scandal marks the lowest point in their history as three of their players were arrested for alleged spot-fixing.

RR was on the verge of making the play-offs when the scandal rocked the team. However, it was then-RR bowler Pravin Tambe who motivated the team to keep going despite all the controversy around the tournament’s future.

Tambe, who had made his debut in the cash-rich league the same year, inspired his teammates to focus on their game and achieve their best.

EX-RR player Brad Hogg, who was part of the team in 2013 made this revelation recently, calling Tambe a “true inspiration” and a “great” of a game in terms of his determination to forge on. The former spinner made the revelations on his YouTube channel while he was talking about Kaun Pravin Tambe, the biopic based on the RR star bowler’s life.  Watch the video here:

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According to Hogg, while the team was going from Mumbai to Hyderabad, “3-4 players were not on that bus” as they had been arrested for alleged spot-fixing. The team members had been crushed by the scandal and were completely “distraught and upset”.

Narrating the incident, Hogg stated that the RR coach asked all team members to share their perspective on how they were affected by the controversy. When it was time for Tambe to speak, “he just broke down in tears. The opportunity of playing at the highest level on TV had just been tarnished by the actions of four other players.”

According to Hogg, Tambe’s speech motivated everyone to keep going and continue playing for RR. “After his answer, everyone said that we’ve got to keep going and play for Rajasthan Royals,” the spinner added.

In 2013, RR did manage to make the play-offs but were defeated by Mumbai Indians in the second qualifier.

As for Pravin Tambe, the bowler managed to impress everyone with his performances in the IPL even beyond the 2013 season. In 2014, Tambe scalped a hat-trick against Kolkata Knight Riders. He was bought by KKR in 2020, but his contract was cancelled by the BCCI as he had participated in a T10 league without permission from the Board.

The 50-year-old then went on to play for Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League.

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