IPL 2020: The amazing reason why Thangarasu Natarajan’s jersey says JP Nattu

Natarajan has been one of the highlights of IPL 2020 with his deadly yorkers. He has picked up 16 wickets from 15 games in this edition while bowling the difficult death bowlers for SRH.

Image credits: Twitter/@IPL

SunRisers Hyderabad pacer Thangarasu Natarajan’s rags to riches tale is one for the ages. No one exemplifies the fact that sheer hard work can take you places more so than the left-arm quick Natarajan.

Natarajan’s exploits with the ball in IPL 2020 have been one of the highlights of SRH’s season so far with many calling him as one of the finds of the tournament. In 15 matches the Tamil Nadu pacer has racked-up 16 wickets while bowling the toughest overs for his side. The fact that he has an economy-rate of just 8.02 is an ode to his mastery of the death bowling craft and his Yorkers are now becoming infamous.

While Natarajan has certainly taken the tournament by storm, there is another quirky little detail about him that might have gone unnoticed. Natarajan’s SRH jersey ready JP Nattu. While it is common for players to have their nicknames on the back of their jersey’s, JP Nattu is certainly not Natarajan’s nickname. 

His past as a tennis ball bowler so evident in his bowling smartly under pressure. So happy for him.  https://t.co/gGjtf0pry8 — Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) November 6, 2020

The 29-year-old carries the name of his mentor Jayaprakash, who spotted Natarajan’s talent when he was still playing tennis-ball cricket. Natarajan thus pays a tribute every time he takes to the field. He even has a tattoo dedicated to JP who Natrajan describes as his godfather. Natarajan talks about him in this video posted on SRH's official Twitter handle:

The story of T. Natarajan 

Hear all about the pacer's journey from the man himself #OrangeArmy #KeepRising #Dream11IPL @Natarajan_91 pic.twitter.com/KIsPaHJ6aB — SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) October 4, 2020

This is a wonderful way to pay your homage to the man who played such a critical role in Natarajan’s life – a man who comes from humble origins. Natarajan’s performances with the ball this season were even acknowledged by the national team selectors as he was one of the four pacers who will travel with the squad although, not being part of the regular roster for the tour.

Natarajan’s has bowled the most number of Yorkers in IPL 2020 and leads the race by a long margin. In SRH’s Playoffs eliminator game against RCB on Friday (November 6), Natarajan’s absolutely rattled  AB de Villiers stumps with a searing yorker in what was perhaps, the highlight of the day.

Natarajan finished with figures of 4-0-33-2, bundling up RCB for just 131/7. SRH went on to win the game by 6-wickets.

SunRisers will now take on Delhi Capitals in the Qualifier 2 of IPL 2020 Playoffs on Sunday (November 8).