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Former Gujarat captain and prolific batter Priyank Panchal recently opened up on his decision to retire from all forms of cricket and said, “there is more to life than cricket.” Panchal, who had led India A in the past and featured in the senior squad, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in May earlier this year.
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Panchal, who was having an AMA (ask me anything) session with his followers on X (formerly Twitter), replied to a question where he was asked the rationale an early retirement. Panchal wrote, “Every cricketer has two careers – the playing & non-playing one. Once I knew I couldn’t play for India, it made sense to begin the latter early and get a headstart. Eventually there’s more to life than cricket.”
Every cricketer has two careers – the playing & non-playing one. Once I knew I couldn’t play for India, it made sense to begin the latter early and get a headstart. Eventually there’s more to life than cricket #AMAwithPriyank https://t.co/sqMefo8Id1
— Priyank Panchal (@PKpanchal09) August 9, 2025
The domestic veteran played 127 First-Class games and amassed 8,856 runs at 45.18 with 29 centuries and 34 fifties.
Illustrious domestic career
The 35-year-old also played 97 List A matches, scoring 3,672 runs at 40.80 with eight tons and 21 fifties, while in 59 T20s, he made 1,522 runs at 28.71 with nine half-centuries. Panchal has been a part of the Indian Test team on a couple of occasions, including being called as a replacement for an injured Rohit Sharma. In the home Test series against England in 2021, He was named among the reserve openers alongside Abhimanyu Easwaran.
The right-handed opening batter had a breakthrough year in 2016-17 in the Ranji Trophy when he scored 1,310 runs with a highest individual score of 314 not out. It was a season in which Gujarat won the premier domestic competition. Panchal was also a part of the title-winning Gujarat teams in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2015-16 and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2012-13 and 2013-14.
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