• Home
  • Top Most
  • 5 Cricketers Who Jumped From Cricket And Joined Bjp

5 Cricketers Who Jumped From Cricket And Joined BJP

Gautam Gambhir with the Home Minister Amit Shah (X.com)Gautam Gambhir with the Home Minister Amit Shah (X.com)

The cricketers with their effort get a huge amount of recognition, love and fame, but after they retire from the sport, they don't have much to do until they get into some business, Commentary or get into politics. Even the political parties try to get the most prominent personalities in their countries in order to gain the traction of their fans. From Sachin Tendulkar to Gautam Gambhir, many of the cricketing giants have entered into politics with their choice. 

There are Lok Sabha Elections scheduled this year and the political parties are all gearing up for the big occasion. In the past, we have seen that Parties start involving the prominent faces of the country whether they are actors, cricketers or business persons. 

As we inch closer to the elections, we at OneCricket have found some of the popular Indian cricketers, who joined the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and entered into the politics.


Let's have a look at the top 5 cricketers who have joined the BJP.

Kirti Azad 

Kirti Azad is a BJP member (X.com)Kirti Azad is a BJP member (X.com)

The all-rounder and the son of the central minister, Kirti Azad was from Purnea, Bihar, but used to play domestic cricket from Delhi. He was an aggressive right-handed batter with the ability to bowl off-spin as well. He even went on to represent the Indian team, but could not feature in more than 25 ODIs and 7 Test matches. 

Despite having a great track record in domestic cricket, Kirti Azad could not make an impact at the international level. With over 6,000 first-class runs, Kirti bid adieu to cricket being one of the stalwarts for the Delhi team. Later on, he followed the footsteps of his father and entered into politics by joining the Bhartiya Janata Party and even won thrice in Darbhanga. 


Vinod Kambli 

Vinod Kambli was also a BJP member (X.com)Vinod Kambli was also a BJP member (X.com)

The Mumbaikar, Vinod Kambli was among the players who were known for their attitude. In a Test career of just 21 innings, Kambli hammered over 1,000 runs with the help of four centuries and three half-centuries. He even scored a double century against England and maintained an average of over 50 in his 17-match-long Test career. 

With over 3,000 international runs, Vinod Kambli was one of the most popular aggressive batters but wasn't consistent enough to play more than 104 ODI matches in his career. He went on to join politics and even contested the Vidhan Sabha elections from the Maharashtra unit of the Bhartiya Janata Party. 


Navjot Singh Sidhu

Navjot Singh Sidhu was also a member of BJP (X.com)Navjot Singh Sidhu was also a member of BJP (X.com)

The man who is known for his voice behind the live telecast, Navjot Singh Sidhu was also one of the foremost batters of the Indian team in the 90s. He used hit spinners for fun and with over 6,000 international runs, he became a healthy contributor to the Indian team's success under the leadership of Kapil Dev and Mohammad Azharuddin.

After retiring from the sport, Sidhu became a commentator and also a judge at a comedy show. Later on, he became the special chairperson for Kapil Sharma's comedy show. Sidhu even entered into politics by joining the BJP, but currently, he is with the Congress party and the rumours suggest that he might return to BJP. 


S Sreesanth

S Sreesanth also joined BJP (X.com)S Sreesanth also joined BJP (X.com)

The man who was a proud member of the both T20 World Cup and ODI World Cup winning teams, S Sreesanth. The right-arm fast bowler played 27 Test matches for the Indian team and scalped 87 wickets. And when it comes to white-ball cricket, he picked 82 wickets and was a salient contributor in both the ICC events.

Talking about his life after cricket, Sreesanth even tried acting and was even a part of a few Tamil and Bollywood movies. Later on, he entered into politics by joining the BJP and even contested the assembly elections for Kerala, but lost from his seat. 


Gautam Gambhir 

Gautam Gambhir is currently with BJP (X.com)Gautam Gambhir is currently with BJP (X.com)

The match-winner for the Indian team and the highest run-scorer in both T20 World Cup 2007 and World Cup 2011 finals, Gautam Gambhir was nothing short of an extraordinary player. In his 242-matches-long international career, Gambhir amassed over 10,000 runs for the Indian team and even helped the team win two ICC trophies. 

Gambhir even led the Kolkata Knight Riders to win the IPL twice, which proves how great he was not just as a batter but as a leader as well. In the year 2019, Gambhir joined BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2019. Now, right before when the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, Gambhir resigned from politics and joined KKR as a mentor for the IPL 2024.