Sunil Gavaskar Steps Up for Ailing Vinod Kambli
Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has extended financial and medical support to former India cricketer Vinod Kambli through his CHAMPS Foundation, offering a lifeline as Kambli battles health and financial struggles.
It’s not every day that one sees a proper straight drive—not on the pitch, mind you, but in life. But former Indian captain and cricketing legend Sunil Gavaskar has just played a textbook classic. In a rather touching display of solidarity and sportsmanship, Gavaskar has come to the aid of his former teammate Vinod Kambli, who’s been caught in the slips of poor health and dwindling finances of late.
Now, Kambli—once a flamboyant left-hander who lit up the ‘90s with his stylish strokeplay—has been finding life outside the boundary ropes a bit more bumpy. The 52-year-old, who represented India in 17 Tests and 104 ODIs, has in recent years been bowled over by health issues and a rather threadbare bank balance. To make matters stickier than a damp wicket in Manchester, he was hospitalised last December for a urinary infection and muscle cramps, spending a good fortnight in a Thane hospital before being discharged on New Year’s Day.
Enter Gavaskar, ever the steady hand at the crease, who had previously made a quiet promise of support during the unveiling of coach Ramakant Achrekar’s memorial back in December 2024. And true to form—not one to play and miss—the little master has delivered.
Through his CHAMPS Foundation (a rather fitting acronym if you ask me), Gavaskar has arranged for Kambli to receive a monthly allowance of ₹30,000, alongside an annual medical aid of the same amount. Not exactly cricket board CEO money, but certainly enough to keep the lights on and the medicines flowing.
One might say Gavaskar’s gesture has gone well beyond a token single; it’s more of a solid partnership when the team is a man down.
According to long-time friend and confidante Anil Joshi, Sunil Gavaskar promptly consulted with Kambli’s doctors after the Wankhede event. “He met Dr Shailesh Thakur and another physician, got the full lowdown, and the very next day, the Foundation began disbursing the funds,” said Joshi, as quoted by The Times of India.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t Kambli’s first brush with serious health issues. The man has previously weathered two heart surgeries in 2013—help reportedly coming from none other than childhood chum and cricketing deity, Sachin Tendulkar. Though things took a bit of a nosedive in the personal department, with his wife Andrea filing (and later withdrawing) divorce papers in 2023, citing his frail condition. “He is like a child. I was worried about his health. That made me stay,” she revealed during a podcast, tugging at more heartstrings than a violinist at the Royal Albert Hall.
As for Gavaskar, the man has always been one to lead from the front. His CHAMPS Foundation, set up in 1999, has quietly gone about supporting former sportsmen and women who’ve found themselves a bit stumped by life. No fuss, no fanfare—just a good innings of doing good.
In an era where flashiness often trumps foundation, it’s refreshing to see a cricketing legend choosing compassion over commentary gigs. It’s not just about stats and centuries; sometimes, the truest greatness is shown not with a bat in hand, but with a hand extended in help.
So here’s a hat-tip to Sunny bhai, who’s proved once again that form is temporary, but class—well, that’s permanent.
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