Mumbai Unveils Irfan Umair: The Left-Arm Pacer Who Refused to Give Up

When Irfan Umair gets ready to pull up his run-up in Srinagar for his Ranji Trophy debut with Mumbai, he carries with him more than just a cricketing dream. He brings years of struggle, sacrifice, and relentless belief.

A long road from Ranchi

Irfan left Ranchi in 2017 with a small sum amount, aiming for more than just survival. He landed at Kurla station in Mumbai, sharing a tiny room in a slum with 12 other people. Hunger, instability, uncertainty these weren’t just words for him, they were daily reality. To get by, he took up odd jobs: waiting tables, rolling sushi, even sleeping on a train station when worse came to worse.

Battles off the pitch

Cricket was never easy for him. His parents, especially his mother, feared he was chasing dreams without footing. He had to promise to clear his Class X exams before dedicating time to cricket. Once in Mumbai, there was an unexpected rule: to play for Mumbai in domestic cricket, you need to be a resident for at least one year with valid proof. Irfan scrambled to arrange documents, paid agents, did double shifts in catering  anything so he wouldn’t be pushed out by bureaucracy.

COVID made things worse. Money got tight, interest piled up, roommates left, eviction threats loomed. But even when he worked shifts, he looked for chances to keep cricket in his life  by changing clubs (from Islam Gymkhana to CCI), attending trials, being a net bowler, playing tennis-ball cricket.

Turning moments

There were low points. His first day as a waiter brought him to tears. He asked himself what he was doing in Mumbai, why he endured the hardship. But also moments that kept him going: when people recognized his bowling, when he performed in club matches, when he got selected for trials.

Then came the Indian Street Premier League (ISPL). Irfan, already known in tennis-ball circuits, got picked by Falcon Risers Hyderabad for a good sum (around ₹16-16.5 lakhs). That contract helped him move away from kitchen work, focus more on training, dedicate more time to sharpening his bowling.

The moment that matters: Ranji debut

Now, after eight years of struggle, Irfan Umair is stepping into the Ranji Trophy arena for Mumbai. He’s a left-arm fast bowler who brings variety and a long run-up, which the team hopes adds an X-factor. Mumbai’s captain, Shardul Thakur, has praised what Umair brings  not just with the ball but in the hunger and attitude.

What this really means

This isn’t just another player debuting. Umair’s story is part of the fabric of cricket that often goes unnoticed: players who struggle to find meaning off the field as much as on it. His journey shows that talent alone won’t cut it; resilience does.

For Mumbai, picking him is a statement: talent from unlikely places can rise. For young cricketers watching him, he’s proof that the margins between “just getting by” and “making it” are often lived in quiet desperation and modest choices