Manzoor Dar story: From a Rs 60 daily wage worker to Rs 20 lakh IPL contract with Kings XI

Bengaluru, February 5: Over the past week, the life of Manzoor Dar has undergone a sea change. He gets scores of requests for interviews. People are flocking around him to shake hands with him or for a pat on his back.

Manzoor Dar is now a celebrity in his village - Bandipore in Jammu and Kashmir. Till January 28, Dar was just another village cricketer who had dreamt of playing the sport at a higher level and had to do menial jobs to earn his bread.

But Kings XI Punjab picked Dar for Rs 20 lakh from the IPL auction, largely based on his reputation of hitting a cricket ball for over 100 meters.

Celebration in Dar's village: Watch Video

"I have a big family with seven siblings and parents. I need to support them. Sometimes I had to do daily labour work for Rs 60 and I got a steady income of Rs 2,500 after securing the job of a security man in a Tata showroom near my village. This is a dream come true for me - the IPL contract and a chance to play with some of the best cricketers," said Dar.

A Very Much thanks to @realpreityzinta Mam @virendersehwag Sir & others who took me to their @lionsdenkxip team for IPL2018.
Also Special thanks to all those people who kept me in their prayers with holding their nerves !

Mission Starts now !! 🏏

— Manzoor Pandav (@pandav_manzoor) January 30, 2018

And Rs 20 lakh is a big sum for someone Dar, for whom the word struggle is a massive understatement. "I have lot of needs. I need to give proper care to my ailing mother and have to complete the house that I have been building so that we have a good shelter. It still does not have doors or windows or other fittings," he said.

In fact, Dar picked up cricket as a way to earn additional income. An occasional player, Dar found instant demand from clubs because he could hit a cricket ball some distance. "100 metre?," he laughs at the question.

"That's what everyone is saying. May be it's more. I never measured them because I want to hit as many sixes as possible. I don't know the distance but the ball goes a long way. I am thankful to the Kashmir Knights Cricket Club for giving me a chance with them and over the last few years we have become like a family," he said.

Dar's journey that started in 2011 eventually began to see some small stops when he made his state debut in 2017 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and also got a chance to attend the trials for Rajasthan Royals.

"This was the time I began to think cricket as a serious profession and my friends, who often used to give me bus fare for local matches, told me that I can make it to the big levels. Now, I hope to meet all those cricketers whom I have admired like MS Dhoni and hopefully, I can progress as a player," he said.

Dar's story has another angle to it. Bandipore, very close to the fuming Shopian area, is not an easy place to live. The presence of militants and security forces turns the atmosphere heavy and the inhabitants here do not have much time to care for sports.

"There is a lot of talent in Jammu and Kashmir. Hopefully, they will now take sports more seriously and we can see more players coming out of my state," said Dar.

Bat and ball over guns and stones as former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif put it so aptly.