In a tragic incident in Pune, a 35-year-old cricketer suddenly collapsed and died of cardiac during a Lucky Builders and Young XI cricket match at the Garware Stadium in Pune on Wednesday (November 27). The entire incident was caught on camera as the match was televised live.

Imran Patel, a professional cricketer, who is known for his all-round skills, opened the batting for Lucky Builders. After hitting a boundary on the last ball of the sixth over, Imran experienced pain on the left side of chest. He took his gloves and rubbed his chest before going down on his haunches.

The right-handed batter then complained to the umpires and was seen talking to a few of the opposition fielders. He tried his best to continue batting, but the pain was too much. The umpires advised him to inform the opposition captain, which he did. All this while, Imran continued to experience pain on the left side of his chest. He was also seen shaking his left arm, thinking it may have been a muscle injury.

After a while, he finally decided to walk off the field, but while walking back to the field, he collapsed, even as all the fielders ran towards him.

Imran was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him dead.

No medical history

“He didn’t have history of any medical condition,” said Naseer Khan, another cricketer. “He was in good physical condition. In fact, he was an allrounder who loved the game. We’re all still in shock.”

Imran leaves behind a wife and three daughters, the youngest only four months old. A massive crowd turned up for his last rites near Maulana Azad College late on Wednesday.

Imran owned a cricket team, had a real-estate business and ran a juice shop. His death was hauntingly similar to that of cricketer Habib Shaikh’s who also died while playing a match, on Sept 7 in Pune. Habib was a diabetic.

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