Virat Kohli’s Ex-Teammate Appointed as Umpire for IPL 2025

Sports careers take unexpected turns. Virat Kohli, after winning the 2008 U19 World Cup, became one of cricket’s greatest batters. However, many of his U19 teammates didn’t achieve similar success. As Kohli starts IPL 2025 with RCB, his former U19 teammate Tanmay Srivastava debuts as an umpire in the league.

Tanmay secured an IPL umpiring job at 35. He was India’s top scorer in the 2008 U19 World Cup final. However, his career didn’t follow the same path as Kohli’s.

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Tanmay secured a Punjab Kings contract after impressing in the 2008 U19 World Cup, but his career declined afterward.

Srivastava admitted he had reached his best and wasn’t close to IPL. He chose a longer second innings in cricket. Tanmay retired at 30 while captaining Uttarakhand, after playing for Uttar Pradesh. He pursued a non-playing cricket role. The decision was tough, but he embraced it. While he hasn’t received an on-field IPL role yet, he remains hopeful.

Tanmay remains in touch with Virat and might meet him in IPL. He said he needed a practical outlook and made his own decision. Tanmay told Rajiv Shukla he wanted a non-playing cricket role, surprising him at 30. After discussing options, he completed Level 2 coaching but saw himself only as a fielding coach. He then decided to pursue umpiring instead.

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He chose umpiring, studied for exams while working as an RCB talent scout and a coach at the National Cricket Academy.

“Umpiring studies are tough. I stayed up nights, studying laws and their implications,” he said. “Players get some relaxation, and the board encourages young cricketers to umpire instead of relying on older, bookish experts,” he added.