Praveen Kumar (Cricketer) Height, Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Other Name	Swing King [1]India TV
Nickname	PK [2]Cricket Country
Profession	Cricketer (Bowler)
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 180 cm in meters- 1.80 m in feet & inches- 5’ 11”
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Cricket
International Debut	ODI- 18 November 2007 vs Pakistan at Jaipur Test- 20-23 June 2011 vs West Indies at Kingston T20- 1 February 2008 vs Australia at Melbourne
Jersey Number	# 8 (India) # 8 (Royal Challengers Bangalore) # 8 (Kings XI Punjab) # 88 (Mumbai Indians) # 19 (Sunrisers Hyderabad) # 17 (Gujarat Lions)
Domestic/State Team	• 2005–2018: Uttar Pradesh • 2008–2010: Royal Challengers Bangalore • 2011–2013: Kings XI Punjab • 2014: Mumbai Indians • 2015: Sunrisers Hyderabad • 2016–2017: Gujarat Lions
Coach/Mentor	Sanjay Rastogi
Batting Style	Right hand Bat
Bowling Style	Right arm Medium
Personal Life
Date of Birth	2 October 1986 (Thursday)
Age (as of 2024)	38 Years
Birthplace	Laprana village, Shamli district, Uttar Pradesh
Zodiac sign	Libra
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Laprana village, Shamli district, Uttar Pradesh
School	Meerut Public School, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh
Food Habit	Non-vegetarian
Controversies	Accused of misbehaving with neighbours In December 2019, he was accused by his neighbour Deepak Sharma for beating him and his seven year old son. Deepak claimed that he was waiting at the bus stop for his son to return from school, when Praveen got out of his car and abused him and misbehaved with the bus driver. He also claimed that Praveen was drunk and pushed his son who suffered a back injury. When the man went to file a complaint against him, the police refused to file a complain because of the cricketer's status. The police asked them to make a compromise and when the man refused to do so, he started receiving death threats. [3]The Bridge Spat with a doctor In 2008, he was accused of beating a physician Shantanu working at Subharti Hospital in Civil Lines. According to Shantanu, he went to purchase glass at a shop on P L Sharma Road when he accidentally mud water on Praveen and his friends who were standing by the roadside. When Shantanu went into the shop, Praveen and his friends followed him and manhandled him saying that he spilt the water intentionally. Shantanu also said that they were drunk and even broke some glasses in the shop. Later, Praveen apologized for his mistake. Shantanu in an interview said, I am not taking legal action because nation's pride is associated with Praveen as he represent the country in cricket." [4]Hindustan Times
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Marriage Date	18 November 2010
Family
Wife/Spouse	Sapna Choudhary (national-level shooting player)
Children	Son- Ranvijay Singh Daughter- Saya
Parents	Father- Sakat Singh Khaiwal (police head constable) Mother- Murti Devi Khaiwal
Siblings	Brother- Raj Khaiwal

Some Lesser Known Facts About Praveen Kumar

• Praveen Kumar is a former Indian cricketer who is known for having the skill to make the ball move in different directions and for his accuracy in bowling along the correct line and length. He played a total of 68 ODIs and six Tests, with 104 international wickets in all.

• His cricket journey began in the streets and neighbourhoods of Meerut, such as Multan Nagar and Kishanpura, where he played matches. At the age of 12, he used to participate in informal games, often travelling long distances on his bicycle, covering around ten to twelve kilometres. When the matches were far away, he would rely on public buses, hoping that a kind-hearted driver would allow him to travel for free.

• Since he was 14, he used never used tennis or plastic balls but played with a leather ball.

• When he was 16 years old, along with his other three friends, he began taking Rs. 10,000 from other teams and promised to make them win.

• He used to take training at Victoria Park Cricket Academy, Meerut. He faced difficulty during his initial days in the academy because he had never played on turf.

• In 2001, he moved to an Uttar Pradesh sports hostel where he used to chat with his friends about cricket over many cups of tea. He was picked to play first-class cricket in 2005.

• When he was in his late teens, a local coach named Sanjay Rastogi recognized his talent and introduced him to mainstream club cricket. By the time he turned 19, he had already made his way into first-class cricket, showcasing his skills and potential at a young age.

• In the 2004-05 Vijay Hazare Trophy, he emerged as one of the leading wicket-takers, sharing the top spot with another player. He gained prominence for his impressive performances representing India Red in the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy in 2007.
  

  Praveen Kumar during NKP Salve Challenger Trophy

• During the 2005-06 Ranji Trophy, which marked his debut season and also Uttar Pradesh’s championship-winning season, he emerged as the standout performer. He was undoubtedly the player of the year, exhibiting outstanding all-round skills. Praveen took 41 wickets and scored 386 runs, including five wickets in an innings, one ten-wicket haul, and three half-centuries with the bat.

• Whenever Uttar Pradesh (UP) team found themselves in a challenging situation, they could rely on Praveen to make an impact. His remarkable consistency, which included picking up 90 wickets in his first two seasons of first-class cricket, caught the attention of the national selectors.

• From 2009 to the end of 2010, he played a crucial role in India’s pace attack, forming a trio alongside Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra. The three fast bowlers formed the core of India’s pace battery during that period, contributing significantly to the team’s success with their skill, experience, and ability to take wickets.

• When he was a part of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), he achieved a remarkable feat by becoming the sixth bowler in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to take a hat-trick. This remarkable achievement took place during a match against the Rajasthan Royals at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore in the year 2010. In 2008, while representing Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in a match against the Rajasthan Royals, he smashed one of the biggest sixes ever witnessed in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). During that match, he smashed the ball in the over of Yusuf Pathan, which was measured at a distance of 124 meters. These six equalled the record set by Albie Morkel of the Chennai Super Kings in the same season.
  

  Praveen Kumar as a part of Royal Challengers Bangalore team

• In the IPL 2015 auctions, Sunrisers Hyderabad acquired him for Rs. 220 lakhs.
  

  Praveen Kumar as a part of Sunrisers Hyderabad

• In 2011, Kumar got dengue fever, so he could not become part of India’s World Cup victory. As a consequence, he was not selected by any team during the 2014 IPL auction. After not being picked in the IPL 2014 Auction, Mumbai Indians acquired him as a replacement player for the injured Zaheer Khan. Zaheer had played six games but was forced to withdraw from the rest of the IPL 2014 season due to a left latissimus dorsi muscle strain.

• In an interview, he said that in 2020, he wanted to commit suicide because he was upset about being forgotten so quickly by everyone even after giving some amazing performances for India. Explaining the incident he said that he wore his muffler, took the revolver, got into his car and headed towards Haridwar. While he was in his car, he told himself, ‘Kya hai yeh sab? Bas khatam karte hain (What’s all this? Let me just end it)’.’ After a while, he looked at the photo of his children and thought ‘I can’t do this to my phool-jaise bachche (innocent children), put them through this hell. I turned back.’ Later, he was diagnosed with depression for which he decided to take therapy. He was advised to do meditation. He told his doctor that he used to feel very lonely after shifting from a joint family to his own house in Meerut. He had no one to talk to and felt very irritated. While he was in depression, he lost 15 kg of weight. In the interview, he further said that after his retirement in 2018, his mental state started to deteriorate much more. He used to get a lot of negative thoughts which he wanted to stop but could not. While he was in Meerut, he stopped going out and locked himself in a room. He would watch his bowling videos on a loop. During the night, he would lie in his bed and keep staring at the fan. His wife and children were worried but he would never tell them anything.

• According to his teammates, he was a mast-maula (free-spirited)” nature man.

• In 2008, Manoj Prabhakar said that Praveen was a magician because of his bowling style.

• In 2008, he was chosen to represent India in the tri-nation Commonwealth Bank Series held in Australia. The series involved matches against the Australian and Sri Lankan national cricket teams, and he played a significant part in India’s success. He won India’s first-ever tri-series final and took the wickets of Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke. He became known for his impressive swing bowling.
  

  Praveen Kumar during the tri-nation Commonwealth Bank Series

• From 2008 to 2010, he became India’s top opening bowler in One Day Internationals (ODIs).
  

  Praveen Kumar during India vs Sri Lanka ODI

• He was also chosen to represent India in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. However, due to an injury, Sreesanth replaced him in the tournament.

• During the IPL in 2009, Kevin Pietersen, who played for Royal Challengers Bangalore, approached Kumar at a hotel in South Africa. After exchanging a few words with Kumar, Pietersen then turned to the journalist who was present with Kumar and told Kumar to get fit and increase his speed by 5 to 10 kmph. Replying to which Kumar said that he was known for his swing bowling style and that if he changed his game, he would feel very sad.

• In 2011, he was the most-impressive pacer in the last Test series of his career in England.
  

  Praveen Kumar during test series in England

• In 2011, he took five wickets against the West Indies cricket team at Kingston in his test debut.

• In 2012, in a video that went viral, he was seen abusing a fan standing behind the Indian net in Australia. According to Praveen, the fan was abusing Rohit Sharma a lot because of which Praveen tried to stop him but he did not stop.

• In the 2013 Corporate Trophy match held in Raipur, an incident occurred which led to Praveen being suspended from the Vijay Hazare Trophy. During this time, he was attempting a comeback to the Indian team but there was a fight that took place because the match referee called him “mentally unfit to play”. He said that Praveen hit a batsman with the bat.

• In 2016, he entered politics by joining Samajwadi Party before the UP assembly.
  

  Praveen Kumar with Akhilesh Yadav

• In October 2018, he announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.

• In 2019, he was appointed as a bowling coach for the U-23 Uttar Pradesh team but it did not last for a long time.

• According to him, he has sponsored the education of many young children, arranged marriages of 10 girls, and helped many young cricketers financially.

• In an interview, he revealed that he was partially blind since his playing days and apart from his family, only Rohit Sharma knew about his disability. In the interview, he added,
  

  I can’t see properly with my right eye. I was hit by a ball while playing junior cricket. I underwent treatment at a Delhi hospital. The doctor said they could do a transplant but could not guarantee the return of vision and that things might worsen. If you have noticed my batting dismissals, I often got bowled by slower balls. It’s because I couldn’t see the ball. I faced the same issue with bouncers. I never had a problem playing length balls.”

• He desires to coach young boys for free. In an interview, he said that money was never his priority because he had seen enough fame. He just wanted to get back to cricket because that was the only thing he knew and loved.
  

  Praveen Kumar guiding young children

• He has a farmhouse in Barnava village and also owns Praveen Restaurant and Wedding Banquet in Meerut, which is located at the intersection of NH-58 and Rohta Road.

• On 5 July 2023, he met with an accident in Meerut. Reportedly, he was with his son in his Land Rover Defender car when they were hit by a truck while he was returning from the Pandav Nagar area. They survived the accident without any serious injuries. His car was heavily damaged. According to the police, the truck driver was taken into custody. He met with an accident earlier also. In 2007 also he had fallen from a jeep.

• In an interview, he said that if he was not a cricketer, he would have been a farmer.

• His phone’s ringtone is a dialogue from the film Sarkar delivered by Amitabh Bachchan- “Yes, I do what I think is right – whether it is against God, against the law or against the entire system.” He said that the dialogue suited him the best.

• He possesses four guns and holds licenses for each of them. Among his collection, he has a rifle and a 0.357 Magnum that he carries in his jeans for personal security when he is on farms. Additionally, during his leisure time, he enjoys visiting the local shooting range to practice his shooting skills.

• According to him, he was involved in just one argument with an umpire during an international match. The incident occurred in Nottingham in 2011 with Marais Erasmus.

• In 2023, he was part of a boat race in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
  

  Praveen Kumar during boat race in Varanasi