IPL Auction: Pace, persistence and patience, the Tarmale tale

MUMBAI: It’s not for nothing that they say an IPL gig is often a life-changing event for most players. Onkar Tarmale is another example of the motto of the tournament: When talent meets opportunity. He overcame years of family hardship to secure an Indian Premier League (IPL) contract after Sunrisers Hyderabad bid Rs 30 lakh for the right-arm pacer at the mini auction held at Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.Tarmale, 23, from Shere, Shahapur taluka, a quiet hamlet around 60 kilometres from Mumbai’s entry point, had been able to bowl only two overs during the Sunrisers Hyderabad trials because of the hamstring injury. Despite this, SRH bowling coach Varun Aaron was impressed by his pace and “may have recommended his name to the franchise”.During the trials, he (Aaron) was impressed with the pace I bowled. He told me, “I see something different in you which can be developed. You have the potential.” But unfortunately, I could bowl only two overs before I pulled up my hamstring. As I couldn’t bowl at length, I never expected that SRH would bid for me, but they eventually did,” reveals Tarmale.The bid prompted a night-long celebration in his village, complete with a procession and firecrackers. “More people turned up to celebrate my success than a marriage function. It is a huge thing for our village. Even people from adjoining villages joined in and wished me luck,” Tarmale says.Tarmale has graduated from the university of hard knocks. His father, Tukaram, a small-time farmer, mortgaged gold jewellery and took loans to support his son’s cricketing dream. “My family has sacrificed a lot for me. This is huge for us financially as well. They got very emotional when I got picked up. My father always wanted to see me play in the IPL, and with God’s grace, I have managed to fulfil his dream,” he adds, recalling that he even invoked divine powers by praying at the nearby Hanuman temple when the auction was under way.Tarmale’s cricketing journey, like many others', began with a tennis ball. The switch to a cricket ball happened a bit late, at the age of 18. and that too came about on the advice of his coach. “My coach Narendra Diwane told me that I have the potential to play leather ball cricket. Previously, I used to run in and just bowl fast. He fine-tuned my action and moulded me into a proper pacer,” he says. Tarmale toiled in the dusty maidans of Mumbai playing in the lower divisions often without any recognition or reward. In 2024, A heart to heart with his dad soon followed as he advised Onkar to look for other avenues like “trying for a police job or something else”.Tarmale though is all praise for his father for not forcing his decisions on him.“My father made me aware of the family's financial condition, but he didn’t force the decision on me. They left it to me. They were more worried about my health as daily travel to Mumbai was taking a toll on my health. Deep down I knew that opportunity was just around the corner. I asked them for some more time to crack it. Thankfully, they were convinced. Everyone who was around me cricket wise, knew that I can make it," says the pacer who now plays for Sindh SC and BPCL.He adds: “I trained harder, improved my fitness, and got noticed.”Luck smiled on him in the 2025 T20 Mumbai League, when Thane Eagle Strikers picked him after mentor and former Mumbai and India pacer Dhawal Kulkarni noted his potential. “Dhawal Sir spoke to my father about my potential and told him to let me play. After that, my father was convinced, and he has never told me to stop playing thereafter,” Tarmale says.Although he featured in just two matches before a finger fracture, his pace—around 140 kmph, peaking at 145 kmph—caught the eye of scouts and led to his IPL trial. Under Kulkarni’s guidance, Tarmale has added yorkers, wide yorkers, slower balls and slow bouncers to his growing bag of tricks.Following the auction celebrations, Tarmale slept at 4 am on Wednesday and was back at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s BKC facility for an early training session. He described his IPL selection as “just another pit stop” on a journey he intends to pursue with renewed focus.