'Hats off': Tendulkar praises Nitish Rana, Mandeep Singh for playing amid family tragedies

Former Indian cricketer and Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar on Saturday hailed Indian youngsters Nitish Rana and Mandeep Singh for their dedication towards their teams. Punjab batsman Mandeep Singh suffered a massive personal tragedy on Saturday, October 24 as his father Hardev Singh passed away after a prolonged illness. Meanwhile, Nitish Rana, who architected a comprehensive victory for Kolkata, lost his father-in-law a day before.

'Hats off for turning up', stated Tendulkar as he hailed the young guns for overcoming personal tragedies. Taking to Twitter, Tendulkar asserted that the loss of a loved one hurts, adding that not being able to say a final goodbye is more heartbreaking.

Tendulkar has also been through a similar situation as the master blaster lost his father during the 1999 World Cup. Tendulkar, however, represented India the very next day and notched up a century, dedicating it to his late father.

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Mandeep Singh's father was said to be going through health-related issues since the Punjab cricketer had come to the UAE to play in the Dream11 IPL 2020. Despite his father passing away on Saturday morning, the right-hander displayed immense grit and determination as he took the field for the Punjab vs Hyderabad at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.

Meanwhile, Rana, who brought up his half-century,  dedicated the milestone to his father-in-law who passed away yesterday. The heartwarming gesture was appreciated by netizens as they wished peace for Rana's father-in-law. Rana clobbered Delhi bowlers mercilessly to score 81 runs off 53 balls before getting dismissed by Marcus Stoinis. 

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Kolkata & Punjab register important wins

Keeping their hopes alive in the Dream 11 IPL 2020, Kolkata and Punjab won crucial games on Saturday. The tactic to promote Nitish Rana at the top of the order reaped dividends for Kolkata as the batsman put up a marvellous show. Further, Varun Chakravarthy's 5-wicket haul helped the franchise dismantle the Delhi side. Meanwhile, in the second game on Saturday,  Punjab defended a very low total against Hyderabad.

Kolkata is currently at the 4 positions in the points table, whereas Punjab has managed to be on the 5th position despite a poor start in the tournament.

READ: Mandeep Singh wins hearts on Twitter for playing Dream11 IPL game on day of father's death

READ: Nitish Rana dedicates fiery knock vs Delhi to father-in-law, holds up shirt in his memory