Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20: From Ball Boy To Century for Blasters, Chethan Makes Incredible Turnaround

Bengaluru, August 19: LR Chethan enthralled the packed spectators at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium when he hammered an unbeaten 105 off 55 balls (8x4, 6x6) for Bengaluru Blasters against the Shivamogga Strikers in the ongoing Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 tournament.

More than the volume of runs, the whole experience of playing in front of a massive crowd and showcasing his talents have wowed Chetan, a Mysore native. But it also marked a massive turnaround in his life.

“This is my first year playing the first division matches. I had the opportunity of playing KSCA T20 too, which was held just before the Maharaja Trophy and after my performance there…I was named in the 'C' category of players for the Maharaja Trophy player draft,” explained Chethan.

A BBA student from the Maharaja College, he began playing cricket when during his first-year pre-university in KR Nagar Taluk, about 45 minutes from Mysore.

During the erstwhile Karnataka Premier League (KPL) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, Chethan had found himself at the boundary lines as a ball-boy, and was left in awe by the performances of stalwarts like Mayank Agarwal, Manish Pandey and Karun Nair.

“For almost three seasons, I worked as a ball boy during the KPL matches and I absolutely loved watching the players from such close quarters.

“Luckily, I always had the support of my parents who allowed me to hone my skills in cricket. In 2019, I got to play for Mysuru Warriors as a catchment area player,” he said.

Cut to 2022, Chethan had his dream come true when he walked out to bat alongside captain Mayank at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, donning the Blasters colours.

Chethan said that alone was a big motivation. “Mayank has been quite a remarkable captain. It was him and Naz sir (Nasiruddhin) and KB Pawan who have been motivating me to play my natural game and not worrying much about any outside pressure.

“Although for a new comer like me, I was a bit nervous in the first few matches because this was going to be on TV and there were a lot of people turning up to watch the matches too," Chethan said after becoming only the third batter to score a hundred in the Maharaja Trophy.

Chethan says, it was Mayank’s 102 off 49 balls that showed him the way. “Mayank's innings was brilliant and then before that Rohan Patil also scored a 100 and he is actually my contemporary so I thought if they can do it, even I can.”

When asked about his future plans in cricket, he said, "I came into the sport a little late. I was already 16-17 years old when I started playing in second division. I now play under Irfan Sait and represent Cambridge in first division.

“I really want to play for Karnataka, that is my first target. The Maharaja Trophy is a very big platform for a player like me and I really want to make use of this,” he added.

Karnataka might just have found another talent to look forward to.