Kanjibhai Sakariya, the father of Rajasthan Royals fast bowler Chetan Sakariya, died on Sunday from Covid-19.

Kanjibhai had tested positive during the IPL and is the the second family member Sakariya has lost in 2021. Weeks before the IPL auction in February, his younger brother Rahul died by suicide.

Sakariya was bought by the Royals for INR 1.2 crore and it was a good investment for them as the uncapped left-armer consistently impressed in the tournament before it was postponed. On his IPL debut, against the Punjab Kings, in a high-scoring match where both teams amassed 438 runs, Sakariya was the most economical bowler with figures of 1 for 31 in four overs including 13 dot balls. Overall, Sakariya had picked up seven wickets including those of KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, MS Dhoni, Ambati Rayudu and Nitish Rana.

On a personal front, Sakariya had become his family's solitary breadwinner after Kanjibhai's tempo business folded. Living in a one-room house until the time of the IPL auction, Sakariya had told ESPNcricinfo recently that his dream was to build a new house from his IPL earnings.

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