Cricketers who turned into Actors

Cricket & Bollywood are two inseparable sections of society. Whether it’s getting married to B-Town actresses or creating Biopics on famous sports personalities, Bollywood and cricket have often walked hand-in-hand. Lagaan, MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, Kai Po Che, Iqbal, 83, Jersey, Shabaash Mithu & many more blockbuster Movies are based either on Cricket or the life of Cricketers. In fact, the connection between the Cricket and film Industry is so strong that several cricketers have acted in Hindi movies. Right from Salim Durani to Yuvraj Singh the list of cricketers who have acted in films is vast. So let’s have a look at the Cricketers who turned into actors & tried their luck in movies:

Cricketers who turned into Actors

• Sunil Gavaskar

The Little Master of Cricket fraternity, who is known for hitting towering sixes & giving nightmares to pacers has also tried his luck in acting. When Cricketers who turned into actors are talked about, Sunila Gavaskar’s name is the most on the list. Along with playing for the Indian cricket team, Gavaskar has also acted in Hindi movies. The Padma Shri & Arjuna Award holder made his debut on the silver screen with a Marathi movie named Savli Premachi. Later Gavaskar also played a cameo in Naseeruddin Shah & Satish Shah’s film Malaamaal released in the year 1988.

• Ajay Jadeja

One of the most underrated players of the Indian cricket team from the ‘90s era is Ajay Jadeja. His career saw a significant downfall after his name got involved in a spot-fixing scandal. However, Jadeja didn’t give up & he tried his luck in movies. Cricketer Ajay Jadeja’s journey of turning into an actor began when he landed a role in a movie named ‘Khel’ in 2003. He acted alongside Sunny Deol & Sunil Shetty in the lead role. The movie failed to do business at the box office. Later Jadeja also acted in the movie ‘Pal Pal Dil ke saath’ released in 2009 & featured in a Dance Reality show ‘Jhalak Dhiklaa Jaa’. He also did a cameo in Abhishek Kapoor’s film ‘Kai Po Che’ in the role of Cricket Commentator. The former India batter has now shifted to Cricket commentary & analysis & is very much active in it.

• Kapil Dev:

The famous 1998 World Cup-winning Captain Kapil Dev is another on the list of Cricketers who turned into actors. The first Indian Captain to win a World Cup for India, he is the one who has more than 5000 Test runs & more than 400 Test wickets in Cricket. Fondly called as Hurriyana Hurricane Kapil dev has acted in several movies. He has acted in movies like Dillagi… Yeh Dillagi, Iqbal, Stumped Chain Khuli ki Main Khuli and Mujhse Shaadi Karogi among others.

In 2021, Kapil Dev’s biopic was released in which Ranveer Singh played the lead role while Deepika Padukone, Pankaj Tripathi, Tahir Raj Bhasin, and Saqib Saleem played supporting roles. In his biopic, Kapil made a short cameo as a spectator. Though he couldn’t achieve much success as an actor his prowess as a cricketer couldn’t be denied.

• Yograj Singh

One of the unique stories in Cricketers turned into actors is of Yograj Singh. Notably, Yograj Singh is also the father of one of the famous cricketers, Yuvraj Singh. His story comes in the list of those rare actors who have started their career with cricket but they found success in the film industry. Yograj Singh is famous for his regular appearances on the silver screen. He has featured in 30 Punjabi movies & 10 Hindi films. But his splendid role as ‘Milkha Singh’s coach in the Farhan Akhtar starrer movie, ‘Bhag Milka Bhaag’ has garnered him a lot of praise & recognition as an actor.

• Yuvraj Singh

The Cricketer who is known for smashing six sixes over six balls, has also tried his luck in acting. Yuvraj Singh who was a part of the World Cup 2011 winning team was also conferred with the Arjuna Award & Padma Shri Award. Less did people know that the star of the Indian Cricket team, Yuvraj also tried his hands in acting. He has worked with his father as a child artist in a Punjabi movie, Mehndi Shagna Di. The movie was released in 1992 when Yuvraj was just 11 years old. Apart from acting in movies the prolific actor has also worked as a voiceover artist. He did voice-over for an animated cartoon movie Jumbo which was released in 2008.

• Shikhar Dhawan:

When Cricketers who turned into actors are talked about, the Indian cricket team’s Gabbar hit the list. Yes, we are talking about Shikhar Dhawan who has tried his luck in movies. Dhawan who has created a mark for himself in ODIs & IPL as well has also managed to grab the limelight for his onscreen appearance. For the unversed Dhawan has tried his luck in movies as well. He made his debut in acting in Huma Qureshi & Sonakshi Sinha starrer Double XL movie which was released on November 4, 2022. Though the film couldn’t do much business Shikhar’s role garnered praise from his fans.

• Irfan Pathan

One of the best all-rounders of World Cricket, Irfan Pathan has tried his hands in Movies as well. The swashbuckling bowling all-rounder who has guided the Indian team to glorious triumphs has tried his hands-on acting by featuring in a Tamil Movie. Irfan has made his acting debut in Ajay Gnanumuthu’s Tamil movie named Vikram. Irfan played the character of Turkish origin in that Tamil Movie. Released, in Tamil, Telugu & Hindi language the movie garnered the eyeballs of Cricket fans who hit the theaters to watch Irfan on the silver screen.

• Harbhajan Singh

One of the best spinners of World Cricket, Harbhajan Singh is also one of the cricketers who turned into an actor. The prolific spinner who has troubled biggies of World Cricket on-field garnered the attention of fans with his charismatic persona on the silver screen. He played a crucial role in Karthik Yogi’s Tamil movie, Dikkilona which starred Santhanam in the lead. His love for Tamil culture & his past association with the CSK franchise in IPL has compelled the cricketer to go for the role.

• Sreesanth

The Indian pacer who has always been in Controversy during his playing days has garnered the attention of fans when he chose to act in movies. Sreesanth made his acting debut with a Kollywood movie named Hansika. The pacer has also tried his hands in Hindi movies by featuring in movies such as Aksar 2, Team 5 & Cabaret. For the unversed, Sreesanth was also the first runner-up in Big Boss 12. All of his acting debuts came during the period when he was banned from cricket for life after being involved in a spot-fixing scandal in IPL 2013. However, the pacer appealed to the court & his ban was reduced to seven years in August 2019 after which he made a comeback in the game in 2020.

• Salil Ankola

When Cricketers who turned into actors are talked about the name of Salil Ankola is a sureshot in the list. Ankola who failed to make an impact in World Cricket managed to make his presence felt in silver screen. Salil Ankola has been featured in some big movies such as Kurukshetra and Chura Liya Hai Tumne. However, he garnered praise for his acting in the popular horror TV Show Sssshhhhh…Koi Hai. He has also been featured in a couple of TV shows such as Chahat Aur Nafrat but his character in Sshhhh…koi hai was a hit among all. However, Salil Ankola made a comeback to Cricket in 2020 & was appointed as the Chairman of the Senior Mumbai Team Selection Committee. Since then he has been in the same capacity & is happily fulfilling his duties. He is one of the cricketers who made his Test debut in the same match as cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.

• Sachin Tendulkar

The Master Blaster of World Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar is one of the cricketers who turned into actors. He made his acting debut with his biopic named ‘Sachin: A Billion Dreams’ released in 2017. The movie hit 2000 theatres across the world & featured the intricate details of Legend’s personal & professional life which is not known to the world. Tendulkar acted in that movie & gave his input for the film as well. The movie was a hit among fans who loved to watch their ‘God’ on the silver screen.

• Vinod Kambli

Known for his extraordinary skills as a middle-order batter, Vinod Kambli has acted in films also. After calling time on his cricketing career, Kambli played the role of a commentator on various TV shows. He has also served as a cricket expert for the World Cup 2019 in a Marathi News Channel. The prolific cricketer has featured in movies like Annarth, Pal Pal Dil Ke Ssaat, and a Kannada film, Bettanagere. He has been a part of various reality shows on TV & has acted in movies as well.

• Salim Durrani

One of the best Test players of the Indian team, Salim Durrani is another to hit the list of cricketers who turned into actors. Known for his six-hitting capabilities, Durrani is the only Indian cricketer who has his origins in Afghanistan. He has been the center of attention not only for his power-hitting but his charming looks & personality. His charismatic persona was noticed by Bollywood’s filmmakers who cast him in a movie opposite Parveen Babi named ‘Charitra’ in 1973. Though the movie didn’t fare on the Box Office his alluring looks were no less than a film star.

• Mohsin Khan

Not only Indian Cricketers but Pakistani Players as well have tried their luck in acting. The former Pakistan Cricketer, Mohsin Khan made his Bollywood debut with JP Dutta’s film Batwara in 1989. The film starred a host of actors including Dharmendra, Vinod Khanna, Dimple Kapadia, Amrita Singh, Poonam Dhillon, Shammi Kapoor, and Amrish Puri. His acting career doesn’t stop here as he acted in movies such as Fateh with Sanjay Dutt and Saathi in 1991 with Aditya Pancholi, which was directed by Mahesh Bhatt. The prolific cricketer received recognition for his acting skills. He even got married to yesteryear actress Reena Roy and the two have a daughter together. Mohsin also made a cameo in a few Urdu films in Pakistan.

• Brett Lee

The former Australian Cricketer is one of the cricketers who turned into an actor. The prolific player made his debut with an Indo-Australian film UnIndian. The film also stars actors such as Tannishtha Chatterjee, Supriya Pathak, and Akash Khurana. Several parts of the movie were shot in Sydney with the director even incorporating a Holi scene in the movie. The music of the movie was given by Bollywood’s hit music director Salim-Suleiman. Notably, Brett Lee played the lead role in the movie & garnered attention for his charming persona & natural acting skills.

These are some of the Cricketers who tried their career in acting & garnered attention for their extraordinary acting skills. Anil Kumble and Dwayne Bravo are the others who too have acted in movies & are a part of a list of cricketers who turned into actors. If you remember more names to add to our list, go ahead & share with us as we love to hear from you!

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