Cricket fan Gaikwad has access to top players

It was on Wednesday that Solapur woke up to the Tweetgate controversy after realising that Pradeep Gaikwad is Shailendra Gaikwad who heads Kochi’s Rendezvous Sports World as its CEO.

Gaikwad is famous here as an ardent cricket fan who has been promoting the sport through his Pushp Cricket Academy. A number of people, including journalists, recalled seeing Sachin Tendulkar and Dilip Vengsarkar at Pradeep’s sister marriage in Solapur about three years back. “The reception took place in a school at Solapur and both these renowned cricketers came from Mumbai to attend the event,” recalled a guest.

“As per our information, Shailendra has some agricultural property and has been closely associated with sports. People respect his family in Solapur. When his sister got married in 2003-04, Sachin Tendulkar attended the ceremony,” said BK Upadhyay, Solapur police commissioner.

The Gaikwads do not reside in Solapur anymore; they have shifted to Mumbai. “There is no criminal case registered here against the Gaikwads,” Upadhyay said.

Vengsarkar also confirmed his presence at the wedding. He, however, said that he does not know Shailendra (known as Pradeep in Solapur) and that he attended the wedding at the invitation of Ravi Gaikwad, who was then working with the Regional Transport Office (RTO), Mumbai. Ravi Gaikwad is Shailendra’s brother.

“I have never heard of Pradeep [Shailendra] Gaikwad before this. I went to attend the wedding because I was invited by Ravi, who works with the Regional Transport Office in Mumbai,” said Vengsarkar. He also denied knowledge of Pushp Cricket Academy. “I am hearing about this [academy] for the first time,” he said.

Similarly, during Pradeep’s marriage five years ago at Solapur, former cricketer Vinod Kambli and some of the then Mumbai Ranji players were present. Pradeep is reputed to have easy access to top cricketers.

While no one will speak on record, prominent people privately admitted they were baffled by Pradeep’s financial clout and his ability to invest millions in the IPL bid for the Kochi team.

No details were available on Pradeep’s background, but he is said to be an engineer. His father used to work in the irrigation department. Pradeep also had a Mahindra automobile dealership in Solapur, which was closed a few years ago.

“He is an ardent cricket lover and used to play well. We are aware of his close connections with some of the big names in cricket. But the fact that he could invest so much in buying stakes is really baffling,” was the common refrain of some sportspersons of the city.

Pradeep’s father Kisanrao and mother Pushpa, who are listed as free equity holders in the Kochi team, were unreachable for the second day on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, his sister had told DNA that her parents had gone to the family farm in Solapur.

Sources also claimed that Pradeep had worked as a director and assistant director in Marathi and Telugu movies. He has reportedly produced a Kannada movie titled Bhagyalaxmi Bumper Draw (a remake of the hindi film Malamaal Weekly).