Mumbai: Former Mumbai cricketer and Kanga League giant Mehli Irani has passed away in Dubai. He was 90. Kanga League is a well-known monsoon season cricket tournament played in Mumbai.
The wicketkeeper-batsman, leaves behind his wife and two daughters who are based in Dubai. He is one of the best cricketer and well-versed with the game, said the Mumbai Cricket Association's (MCA) Apex Council member Nadim Menon and noted curator, who has been closely associated with the opening batsman, Irani. Better known at the Bombay Gymkhana as the 'centre table man', Irani played cricket at the age of 60, and he stumped legend Sachin Tendulkar in the year 1991 in one of the Kanga League," said Menon, about the man who has sent a record of playing the Kanga League for 50 years.
I don't think anybody can erase this record," said Menon, who is a noted curator in Mumbai and around the state. Irani passed away in Dubai on Saturday and the last rites were held there itself a day later. He and his wife, Dhanu aunty had shifted to Dubai to stay with his daughters late last year and I did meet him when I was in Dubai in the in the month of December," added Menon. The south-paw, Irani during his hay days of cricket played the Kanga League donnign the colours of Bombay Gymkhana and Parsee Cyclists at the club-level, said Menon while stating, he (Irani) only played one game for Bombay (now Mumbai) against Baroda in 1953-54.
Test cricketers like Nari Contractor, Farokh Engineer, Karsan Ghavri and Ghulam Parkar, played under Irani for Parsee Cyclists.Former India captain Contractor, who played with Irani, condoled his demise and recalled that he was a good cricketer.
