Mandeep Singh is having a bittersweet journey in the last few days in his life. The Kings XI Punjab batsman lost his father last Friday, 23 October and then played the next day for his side in the Indian Premier League due to Mayank Agarwal’s absence.
Although he didn’t score many runs on that day, the whole Kings XI squad has been extremely supportive of him and they wore black armbands in solidarity with Mandeep.
In a video, Mandeep’s brother Harvinder Singh said that Mandeep wouldn’t have been able to stay as strong as he has, if it hadn’t been for the support system the KXIP team and support staff have been for him.
“The entire team of Kings XI, the support staff, everyone was very supportive. Even Preity Zinta spent some time consoling him. 3-4 players remained around Mandeep to give him continuous emotional support. Chris Gayle, (Anil) Kumble, (KL) Rahul... everyone took care of him. It was only because of their support that he was able to overcome the trauma. It would have been much tougher for him had he been alone.”Harvinder Singh, Brother, Mandeep Singh
In the next game, Mandeep showed what really he is made of. He played anchor along with Chris Gayle to guide his side to an 8-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in Sharjah on Monday, 26 October. Mandeep remained unbeaten on 66.
In the post-match interview, Mandeep said that his father told him to stay not out and he paid the best tribute to him by staying unbeaten and winning the game for his team.
On Mandeep’s gritty half-century, Harvinder said that it was a bittersweet time for his family. “For four days, he cried a lot. He played, he scored as well and helped his team win. Papa must be doing Bhangra right now.”
Harvinder also said that they can’t even put foot on the ground after such a huge loss, and Mandeep playing such a brilliant knock under such difficult circumstances showed what he is made of. He said, “Dad always used to say, Mandeep never played to his potential, he should always stay not out at the end of the match. Hopefully, he can fulfill our father’s last wish of him playing for India.”
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