Mumbai: IPL is not only about cricket. There are cheerleaders, sponsors and jerseys and international players whose names are spelt wrong. Australia batsman Usman Khawaja – Rising Pune Supergiants’ latest recruit – is a victim.
His jersey, number 100, printed his name as ‘Khwaja’ and not ‘Khawaja’ which is his original surname.
It looks like the Australian is upset at the faux pas; he tweeted: “I better go home.”
Looks like Pune were expecting 'Khwaja' to come play. I better go home 😂. #typo #pune #IPL #india #cricket #delhi pic.twitter.com/fdkcSph7TM
— Usman Khawaja (@Uz_Khawaja) May 5, 2016
Names are a sensitive issue with cricketers. Once Glenn McGrath, who was close to playing his 200th ODI, was furious for his jersey had ‘McGarth’ written on it.
Nonetheless, Khawaja is a bright prospect for the injury-hit Pune franchise led by MS Dhoni. The left-handed opener is explosive and can provide good starts upfront provided he is called Khawaja by his teammates.
He scored a handy 30 off 27 balls on Thursday when Pune beat Delhi Daredevils by seven wickets.
