Virat Kohli’s U19 World Cup Teammate Tanmay Srivastava Set for IPL 2025 Umpiring Debut

Virat Kohli, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Team India star, has been one of the biggest names in IPL history. His long and successful career in the league highlights how much things have changed over the years. A great example is his U19 World Cup-winning teammate, Tanmay Srivastava, who is now ready to start a new chapter by making his debut as an umpire in IPL 2025.

Tanmay Srivastava, who was India's top scorer in the 2008 U19 World Cup Final win against South Africa, is set to make history in the IPL. He will become the first player to both play and officiate in an IPL match. Srivastava played for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in the early years of the IPL. After his playing career, he took up a new challenge and became a BCCI-certified umpire.

"I understood that was the best player I could be...I was nowhere close to playing the IPL. I had to decide if I wanted to prolong life as a player or have a longer successful second innings," Srivastava told TOI.

At 35, Srivastava’s journey to becoming an umpire has been quick. He completed his Level 2 umpiring course with the BCCI in just two years, showing his dedication to learning the details of officiating. Srivastava also shared with TOI that a conversation with BCCI Vice-President Rajiv Shukla played a key role in helping him choose this new path.

"I told Shukla sir that I wanted to do something else in cricket other than playing. He was a bit taken aback since I was still just 30. Then we discussed what the options could be. I did my Level 2 course in coaching in NCA, but I knew the best I could become was fielding coach. I decided to focus on umpiring," Srivastava added.

Srivastava’s involvement in cricket post-retirement extended beyond umpiring. In 2020, he took on the role of a talent scout for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), working closely with the team management. He also served as the fielding coach for the U16 squad at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and the Jammu and Kashmir state team.

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