In Berhampur, Usuf Patan will run as a candidate for the TMC political party, aiming to become the third cricketer from the 2011 championship squad to embark on a political career.
Remembering his achievements: who is Usuf Patan
Usuf Patan is a cricket player known for his explosive style of play, especially in the T20 format. He hails from India and has represented various domestic teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) from 2008 to 2019, including RR, KKR, and SRH. He earned a reputation as a dynamic middle-order batsman capable of quick runs. Throughout his career, Usuf Patan was celebrated for his interesting style of play and his ability to rescue the team in crucial moments.
In 2011, Patan was part of the Indian national cricket team during The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, where India secured first place for the second time in history.
Patan ended his sports career in February 2021 at the age of 38. After retiring, he and his brother opened the Cricket Academy of Pathans.
Transition to Politics
In early March 2024, the national general secretary of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Abhishek Banerjee, announced that Usuf Patan would be contesting elections in the Lok Sabha in the Baharampur constituency in West Bengal. Pathan will be one of the 42 candidates. However, the athlete faces serious competition from the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) from the Congress, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. Pathan wrote about the start of his political career on his Twitter (X) on March 10. Within 24 hours, his post received 1.3 million views, 20,000 likes and 2,000+ comments. With such attention and response from the audience, Pathan has a strong chance of winning despite the experience of his competitors.
If successful, Patan will become the third cricketer from the 2011 championship squad to enter politics. The first was the controversial Shanthakumaran Nair Sreesanth (S. Sreesanth), known for his antics both on and off the field. In 2016, Sreesanth joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and contested the Kerala Assembly elections from Thiruvananthapuram. However, he lost the election. In 2019, Gautam Gambhir joined the same party. He won the East Delhi constituency in the 2019 general elections but announced his retirement from politics and the BJP on March 2, 2024.
The second player from the 2011 championship squad to become a politician is the versatile Harbhajan Singh, who also dabbles in films and television shows. In March 2022, Singh was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the Aam Aadmi Party as one of five candidates from the state of Punjab. He won the seat uncontested and officially became a member of the Rajya Sabha.
Other Notable Cricketer-Politicians
Aside from this trio, many cricketers have found their calling in politics after their sporting careers. Cricket is the most popular sport in India, akin to basketball or American football in the US, or football in the UK. Therefore, cricket stars often find it easy to transition to politics due to their existing popularity among thousands of Indians. Mohammed Azharuddin and Navjot Singh Sidhu joined the Congress party. Kirti Azad (but let’s face it, he is the son of former Bihar Chief Minister Bhagwat Jha Azad, so starting in politics was probably an easier task for him than for the “ordinary” cricket star) and Manoj Tiwary were members of the TMC. Chetan Chauhan and Ashok Dinda were affiliated with the BJP.
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