From Bollywood to IPL: Mumbai Indians pick Kai Po Che actor Digvijay Deshmukh

However, those who have seen 2013 Bollywood film ‘Kai Po Che’ will remember MI’s newest recruit in a different role. Deshmukh had played the role of Ali, a 14-year-old budding cricketer, around whom much of the film’s plot revolves.

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Ali had played the role of a brilliant batsman in the film. He had then been 14. Seven years later, his dreams of becoming a cricketer at the highest level have come very close to being realized after being one of the Indian uncapped players picked by IPL teams before the IPL 2020 season.

Several of MI’s past uncapped player picks have gone on to become world-beaters, like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya.

Born in Beed district of Maharashtra, Deshmukh made his debut for Maharashtra in the 2019/20 season. He took 9 wickets in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He got only two opportunities to bat, scoring 19 runs – with 12 of those coming via sixes.

In his Ranji Trophy debut in December, he took 6 wickets for 61 runs vs Jammu and Kashmir.

#IPL2020 – Here. We. Come 👊💙#IPLAuction #OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #CricketMeriJaan #IPLAuction2020 pic.twitter.com/yXiVuFWUf1

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) December 19, 2019

In the team photo tweeted by Mumbai Indians on Friday, Deshmukh is seen standing in the back row.

Alongside Mohsin Khan and Prince Balwant Rai Singh, Deshmukh is the third uncapped Indian to have been picked by MI in the IPL auction, all of them at their base prices. Nathan Coulter-Nile (INR 8 Crore) and Chris Lynn (INR 2 Crore) were the two players who they spent most of their budget on before the IPL 2020 season.