Cricket and politics have deep connections as a number of cricketers have joined the political parties after ending their careers. However, not everyone has received popularity among the fans, and despite their brilliance in the field, they failed in politics. Here are the complete details about the top 10 most popular cricketers in the world who became successful politicians and are serving their home country.
Top 10 Most Popular Cricketers Who Became Successful Politicians
Imran Khan
Imran Khan is one of the most beloved cricketers and has led Pakistan to pick the trophy in the 1992 Cricket World Cup. After his retirement from international cricket, Khan stepped into politics. He gave rise to his own political party named Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf. After a great hard work of 18 years, he became the president of Pakistan in 2018. He is also counted among the most charitable cricketers in the world.
Sanath Jayasuriya
Jayasuriya is best famous for his aggressive gameplay and has played his hand in many victories of Sri Lanka all alone. The former left-handed batsman joined politics in 2010 before taking his retirement from the cricket. Later, he completely shifted his focus towards serving the country and was elected as deputy Union Minister of Postal Services.
Arjuna Ranatunga
The cricketer who shocked the world with his leading skills and exceptional talent is no other than Sri Lanka’s former captain Ranatunga. He is the captain who took his team towards winning the 1996 World Cup trophy despite all the critical facts and criticism. When he ended his career, he entered the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and became the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation.
Navjot Singh Sidhu
Sidhu has old connections with politics as he participated in his first elections in 2004. The Indian former batting star has the ability to hit some great shots straight down the ground. Thus, he earned great success in his career. In 2017, he joined the Indian National Congress and then again entered the elections.
Chetan Chauhan
Chetan Chauhan is also a cricketer turned politician who became the Minister of Youth and Sports in Uttar Pradesh. The retired Indian opener has the pride of opening the innings with Sunil Gavaskar. Thus, he is extremely popular among the fans. That’s why, he joined politics and also remained the part of Member of Parliament in Utter Pradesh.
Mashrafe Mortaza
The cricketer who won the hearts of people in politics as well while actively playing for his national team is Mashrafe Mortaza. The Bangladeshi all-rounder is one of the most successful captains in the cricketing history of his nation. In his political career, he won the 11th General Elections of Bangladesh as he received 2,74,418 votes.
Kirti Azad
Kirti Azad has deep roots in politics as he belongs to a family with a political background. His father remained the Chief Minister of Bihar and after taking retirement from internationals, Azad also followed his father’s footsteps. He took part in Parliamentary elections on a BJP ticket in Bihar. However, he entered the Indian National Congress in 2019.
Mohammad Azharuddin
Azharuddin has led a glorious career in cricket and led the Indian team in 3 world cups. However, he ended his career with disappointment as he was caught in a match-fixing scandal. However, he has had much success in his political career and won the Parliamentary election in 2009 on an INC ticket.
Aamir Sohail
Another Pakistani cricketer who entered politics is Pakistani left-hand batsman Aamir Sohail. The former opener has got brilliance in hitting the ball really hard. After ending his cricketing career completely, he joined the Pakistan Muslim League, the political party of former Pakistani Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Mohammad Kaif
Mohammad Kaif is also present on the list as he joined politics after saying goodbye to the cricket field. The former Indian batsman has brought great changes to the national cricket team and created standards for fielding. He tried the same in his political career and entered the parliamentary election in 2014 on the ticket of the Indian National Congress. However, he couldn’t get much success. But is looking forward to becoming a successful politician in the future.
All these are the details about the top 10 most popular cricketers who became successful politicians. If there is any change in the details, we will make them available here. Stay tuned for more information!
