In a strong message to Shreyas Iyer and Ajinkya Rahane, Sarfaraz Khan said that every Mumbai cricketer should experience playing in the Kanga League, which is scheduled during the city’s monsoon season from July to October every year.

Sarfaraz Khan feels some Mumbai players avoid playing in the Kanga League because they fear failing in the tough conditions might hurt their careers. But he pointed out how legends like Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar never thought that way and ended up among the all-time greats.

Sarfaraz Khan urges Mumbai stars to play in the Kanga League

The 26-year-old made his Test debut last year and has scored 371 runs in six matches with one century to his name. However, the right-handed batter wasn’t picked for the recent Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, and he decided to play in the Kanga League.

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The Kanga League is known for its tough batting conditions, as the wet pitches and cloudy skies make scoring runs a real test of skill. Presently, Sarfaraz is representing Parkophone Cricketers in the tournament, and recently he played a brilliant knock of 61 runs off 42 balls against Islam Gymkhana.

Sarfaraz Khan recalls how Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar embraced Kanga League challenges

Sarfaraz Khan was quoted as saying by Mid-Day, “During my childhood, I heard a lot of stories from my father [coach Naushad Khan] about how Gavaskar sir once turned up for a Kanga League match despite returning from England the same morning.”

The Mumbai star further added, “So, Musheer [younger brother] and I have always taken pride in playing this tournament. All Mumbai players should play [Kanga League]. Some players feel that if they fail here, it’ll be bad for their future. But if Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar thought the same way, they might not have gone on to become legends.”

Well, Sarfaraz played his last Kanga League match three years ago. While looking through the league’s schedule before his recent outing, the star batter noticed his name listed for scoring a century back in 2018, which brought back good memories and made him feel happy.

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Sarfaraz Khan’s special request to Mumbai cricketers

He urged the big players from Mumbai to take part in the tournament to inspire the next generation. Sarfaraz signed off by saying, “If big players participate in this tournament, it will be an inspiration for the city’s youngsters. Kanga League is such a tournament that if you succeed here, you can score runs anywhere in the world.”

Notably, the former Mumbai greats like Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Sandeep Patil, and Dilip Vengsarkar always made time for the Kanga League whenever they could while representing the country at the highest level.

India is all set to host the West Indies in a two-match Test series in October, followed by another two tests against South Africa in November, and Sarfaraz would love to get back into contention for the home season in the longest format of the game.