Top 10 Legendary Cricketers Who Became Politicians and Dramatically Changed the Game

Discover the top 10 Cricketers Who Became Politicians and made a powerful impact beyond the pitch. From stadiums to parliaments, see how these cricket legends changed the political game forever.

Politics has become a dream in the world that both rich and poor, cricketers, educated and uneducated people all want to achieve. Many politicians use their powers only to earn money, but there are also some who came into the field to change the fate of their nation. Today’s article is about Cricketers Who Became Politicians — some of them succeeded and some had to face failure.

Number one is Imran Khan. Imran Khan Niazi is the only cricketer in the world who became a Prime Minister. Behind his fame was the 1992 World Cup, when he made a weak team into champions with his excellent leadership.

Imran Khan was born in 1952 in a middle-class Pashtun family. In the cricket field, he was the most educated person. He earned a graduation degree from Oxford University. After that, he started his cricket career in 1974, which continued until the 1992 World Cup. After retiring from cricket, he founded the Tehreek-e-Insaf party in 1996, but he faced a lot of disappointment

After that, Imran Khan became associated with the University of Bradford and served as Chancellor. Whether it was cricket, education, or politics, Imran Khan worked very hard. That is why he became the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan. Friends, these were the famous Cricketers Who Became Politicians who stepped into politics to change the destiny of their nation. .

Number two is Mohammad Azharuddin. Mohammad Azharuddin was the former captain of the Indian team and a middle-order batsman. His cricket career was ruined in 2000 when the Indian Cricket Board banned him for life due to match-fixing allegations. Azharuddin challenged this decision in the High Court.

After twelve years, the High Court gave the decision in his favor, but by then it was too late. At the age of 49, returning to the pitch was not possible. If we talk about his political career, he joined the Indian National Congress in 2009 and won the election to become a Member of the Indian Assembly. Azharuddin is also included in the list of Cricketers Who Became Politicians.

Number three is Sanath Jayasuriya, the world’s first hard-hitter, also known as the Six Master. Sanath Jayasuriya was born in 1969 in Sri Lanka. Along with being a powerful batsman, he was also an excellent spinner. He was also known by the name Master Blaster. Jayasuriya’s international career started in 1989 and continued till 2011. Like many cricketers who became politicians, Jayasuriya developed a strong interest in politics during his cricket career.

In 2010, he contested the elections. Because he was a famous cricketer, people supported him a lot, and that is why he became a successful politician. Jayasuriya is a strong example of Cricketers Who Became Politicians.

At number four is Gautam Gambhir, who played a brilliant innings of 75 runs on 54 balls in the 2007 T20 World Cup Final, and scored 97 runs in the 2011 World Cup Final against Sri Lanka, playing a major role in making India champion twice. Gambhir was born in 1981, and his international career started in 2003.

After Shikhar Dhawan entered the Indian team, Gautam Gambhir started getting ignored. Because of this, he announced his retirement in 2018 and turned toward politics. In 2019, he contested elections from the Bharatiya Janata Party and won with a huge majority. Gautam Gambhir is also among the Cricketers Who Became Politicians.

Ranatunga, the man who made Sri Lanka the champion of the 1996 World Cup, is now a successful politician. He was born in 1963, and his international career started in 1982 when he became the captain of the Sri Lankan team.

At that time, Sri Lanka was a weak team, but under Ranatunga’s great leadership, Sri Lanka won the 1996 World Cup. He retired from cricket in 2000 and stepped into politics in 2001. Since then, he has been a successful politician and has also served as the Deputy Minister of Industry and Minister of Highways. Ranatunga is one of the best examples of Cricketers Who Became Politicians.

It would not be wrong to credit Mashrafe Mortaza for taking the Bangladesh team to new heights. He was born on 5 October 1983 in Bangladesh. His international career started in 2001.

During his cricket career, Mortaza faced many injuries.
Still, he became the most successful captain of Bangladesh. That is why people love him a lot.

One year before retirement, he contested elections from the Awami League.
He won the election with a huge majority. After the 2019 World Cup, he said goodbye to cricket forever. Mashrafe Mortaza is a proud name among Cricketers Who Became Politicians.

Whether it’s cricket, TV shows, politics, or friendship — this man is seen everywhere.
He is Navjot Singh Sidhu, born on 20 October 1963. His father was a Sikh and his mother was Hindu. Sidhu’s international career began in 1983.

He was a successful Indian batsman and retired from the Indian team in 1999.In 2004, Sidhu contested elections with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Since then, he has been a successful politician.

Apart from politics, Sidhu has also appeared in many television shows.
He is one of the most famous Cricketers Who Became Politicians.

Mansoor Ali Khan, whom the world also knows as Tiger Pataudi, was born in 1941 in Bhopal.
His parents were Nawabs at that time. Mansoor Ali Khan started playing cricket at the young age of just 16. He was a successful hard-hitter for India.

In 1961, he lost his right eye in a car accident. But surprisingly, he did not quit cricket. With hard work, he not only made a comeback to the Indian team but also became a successful captain. In 1971, Mansoor Ali Khan contested elections from the Congress Party. But he had to face disappointment and lost the election. He is also remembered among Cricketers Who Became Politicians, showing how sportsmen tried to serve the nation in different ways. His name often comes up when we talk about Cricketers Who Became Politicians.

He married Bollywood actress Sharmila Tagore.
Their famous son Saif Ali Khan and daughters Saba and Soha were born from this marriage. Mansoor Ali Khan passed away in 2011 at the age of 70.
He remains a well-known example of Cricketers Who Became Politicians.

Number nine is Vinod Kambli. Vinod Kambli was born in 1972 in India. He was a middle-order batsman for India. Vinod was the first player in the world to score a century on his birthday. His international career lasted from 1994 to 2000.

During that time, he had the highest average in Test cricket for India, which was 54. Despite having the highest average, Vinod retired from Test cricket at the age of just 23, which surprised everyone. After that, he entered politics and became the Vice President of Lok Bharati Party.

In 2009, he contested for MNA (Member of National Assembly) but faced failure. After that, he left politics and started working as a commentator on various channels. Vinod is also one of the Cricketers Who Became Politicians.

Everyone must be familiar with the name Abdul Hafeez. He was the player who played cricket for both Pakistan and India. Abdul Hafeez Kardar was born in 1925 in Lahore. He started his cricket career in 1946 playing for India, and after the creation of Pakistan, he represented Pakistan. He played cricket for Pakistan from 1952 to 1958. He was also the first captain of Pakistan. Later, he entered politics and served as the Minister of Food and a Member of the Punjab Assembly during Bhutto’s era.

He passed away in 1996 at the age of 71. Abdul Hafeez Kardar is a prime example of Cricketers Who Became Politicians, and his journey from the cricket field to politics remains inspiring. Among all Cricketers Who Became Politicians, his role in shaping Pakistan cricket and serving the country politically stands out.

FAQs

Q1. What happened to Imran Khan?
A.    On 9 May 2023, former Prime Minister of Pakistan and politician Imran Khan were unlawfully arrested from inside the Islamabad High Court in Islamabad by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Q2. Which batsman is in the IPL logo?
A.   IPL’S logo was designed by taking reference of Mashrafe Mortaza’s shot in 2007 World Cup

Q3. Which was the best match of Navjot Singh Sidhu?
A.  Sidhu’s finest moment in Tests was his 201 against West Indies in 1996-97, an act of supreme endurance lasting 11 hours.

Q4. How many times did Sanath Yasuriya marry?
A.    Sanath jayasuriya’s first marriage was with Air Lanka ground.

Q5. Who is father of Pakistan cricket?
A.   The first Test captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team, Kardar, is widely regarded as the father of Pakistan’s cricket. He played 23 Tests for Pakistan from 1952 till 1958 and captained in all of them.

Conclusion

In the world of cricket, many players have shown their talent on the field, but only a few have stepped into the world of politics to serve their nations. Among the notable cricketers who became politicians are Abdul Hafeez Kardar, who was Pakistan’s first captain and later became a minister, and Vinod Kambli, who joined politics after retiring early. Every cricketer had a unique journey

Mansoor Ali Khan, despite losing one eye, proved himself in cricket and later tried in politics. Navjot Singh Sidhu and Mashrafe Mortaza both succeeded in politics after successful cricket careers. Arjuna Ranatunga and Gautam Gambhir earned respect as leaders both on and off the field.

Sanath Jayasuriya and Azharuddin used their cricket fame in their political journey. But the most successful of all was Imran Khan, who became Prime Minister of Pakistan. These examples show that Cricketers Who Became Politicians played an important role not just in sports, but also in shaping their countries’ futures