After being picked up by Rajasthan Royals in the recent auction for Rs 1.2 crore, left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya made his impressive IPL debut, registering figures of 4-0-31-3 against Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium last night.

Sakariya, however, did not have it easy as he had to overcome numerous hurdles along his path to success. From working at his uncle's stationery shop in order to cover his cricket expenses to losing his brother just a month before the latest IPL auction, Sakariya has been through some tough times. Opening up about his gruelling journey, Sakariya reportedly said, "My younger brother committed suicide in January. I wasn't at home, I was playing Syed Mushtaq Ali at that time. I didn't know he had passed away until I returned home. Even then, my family didn't share the news with me. I used to ask them about Rahul's whereabouts and they would tell me 'he has gone out'."

"Sometimes, they would say he had ventured out to buy groceries. This absence is a big void for me. Had he been here today he would have been more happy than me." Speaking about being picked up by Rajasthan Royals at the auction, the young pacer added, "I was hoping that this time I will be there because when I went as a net bowler for RCB during IPL in UAE, RCB coach Mike Hesson and Simon Katich had told me that I have ticked all boxes to be part of any IPL team. RCB did try for me but getting picked for any team makes me happy." Highlighting the importance of cricket in his life, former Indian vice-captain Virender Sehwag shared the painful story of Sakariya as well on his social media handle.

"Chetan Sakariya's brother died of suicide few months ago, his parents didn't tell him for 10 days as he was playing the SMA trophy. What cricket means to these young men, their families. IPL is a true measure of the Indian dream & some stories of extraordinary grit. Great prospect," Sehwag wrote on Twitter.

Chetan Sakariya's brother died of suicide few months ago,his parents didn't tell him for 10 days as he was playing the SMA trophy. What cricket means to these young men,their families .IPL is a true measure of the Indian dream & some stories of extraordinary grit????Great prospect pic.twitter.com/r0mISy9Asv

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) April 12, 2021