Mumbai player dies after receiving a severe head injury

A ball from a different match struck a cricket player in the head on January 8 in Matunga’s Major Dhadkar Maidan, tragically ending his life. When the incident happened, 52-year-old Jayesh Savla was playing veteran’s cricket for the Kutchi Community at Dadar Union Sporting Club.

At the nearby Dadar Parsee Colony pitch, Savla was fielding close to another game in progress. Salva failed to realize the ball was directly aimed at him as the opposing team’s batter unleashed a strong pull shot. It struck the back of his head, and he was sent straight to Sion Hospital, where they pronounced him dead.

According to the Times of India, an eyewitness stated, “He fell and was rushed to the hospital, where he was declared dead.”

A T20 tournament for players 50 years of age and older, the two matches were part of the Kutchi Visa Oswal Vikas Legend Cup. The participant in this tournament, Rohit Gangar, described what happened.

The first match took place at Dadar Union, and the second one was played at the Dadar Parsee Colony field on Monday afternoon. When the batter in the DPC game struck a pull shot, Savla was positioned at point while playing for Gala Rocks versus Master Blaster. The ball struck him in the back of the head, just where Australia’s Phil Hughes was struck and killed,” he was cited by Hindustan Times.

The incident has broken cricket circles around the city. One problem with Mumbai’s maidans is that games are played on fields next to each other. Matunga and Cross Maidan’s numerous grounds are close together. Additionally, although a ball from another game had previously injured a player here, this appeared to be the first instance of an injury taking a player’s life.

In the meantime, the police declared that they had requested an autopsy and submitted a report on an accidental death to make sure the death was not caused on purpose. But there was none of that kind in the report.