35-Year-Old Professional Cricketer From Pune Dies of Cardiac Arrest During Match

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A 35-year-old professional cricketer named Imran Patel died of a massive cardiac arrest during a league match between Lucky Builders and Young XI at the Garware Stadium in Pune on Wednesday (November 27) night.

Patel had entered the crease as opening batsman for Lucky Buidlers, and was seen complaining of pain in his left arm and chest to the umpires and the other players after a few overs.

After a brief discussion, he was on the way back to the pavilion when he collapsed near the boundary. The events were caught on camera as the match was being streamed live. Patel was rushed to hospital where doctors declared him dead.

"He didn't have history of any medical condition," said Naseer Khan, another cricketer. "He was in good physical condition. In fact, he was an allrounder who loved the game. We're all still in shock."

Patel leaves behind a wife and three daughters, the youngest only four months old. A massive crowd turned up for his last rites near Maulana Azad College late on Wednesday (November 27).

Patel owned a cricket team, had a real-estate business and ran a juice shop. His death was hauntingly similar to that of cricketer Habib Shaikh, who also died while playing a match earlier this year in Pune. Habib was a diabetic.

The date November 27 is a sad day in cricket history as exactly a decade ago Australia lost their batter Phillip Hughes, but that was due to a blow to the neck during the match. Hughes also lost his life after a two-day battle in the hospital.

On 25 November 2014, Hughes was hit in the neck by a bouncer from Sean Abbott, during a Sheffield Shield match at the Sydney Cricket Ground, causing a vertebral artery dissection that led to a subarachnoid haemorrhage. He died two days later in the hospital.