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Two players were added into the South Asia Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009. Pitcher Kirpal Kushwaha was a no-brainer with 93.7% in his debut. Joining him was second baseman Abdul Deepkaran, who got the big bump up to 79.5% in his fourth ballot. Three others were above 50% with 1B Sunil Lamichhane debuting at 56.5%, C Kumar Patel at 53.2% for his second ballot, and CL Saddam Rahman at 51.4% for his third ballot. No players were dropped after ten ballots.


Kirpal Kushwaha – Starting Pitcher – Delhi Drillers – 93.7% First Ballot

Kripal Kushwaha was a 6’4’’, 190 pound right-handed pitcher from Konnagar, a town of 76,000 in India’s West Bengal state. Kushwaha had impressive stuff with incredible movement, although his control was often lacking. He had a filthy 98-100 mph dancing fastball along with a good slider and changeup. His fastball made him one of the most impressive strikeout pitchers of his era. Kushwaha’s stamina was good compared to most SAB aces, but he did have some injury woes.

Kushwaha was spotted as a teenage amateur and signed in December 1984 by Delhi. He spent four seasons in the Drillers’ academy, debuting as a part-time starter in 1989 at age 21. Kushwaha had a pretty good rookie season, taking third in Rookie of the Year voting. He earned a full-time rotation spot for the next seven years with Delhi.

In his third season, Kushwaha led the Indian League in wins, innings, strikeouts, and WAR; taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. The Drillers earned their first-ever playoff berth and would start a streak of five straight playoff appearances. They couldn’t hold up against Ahmedabad’s dynasty and suffered first round defeats four times. Delhi had the top seed in 1993 at 111-51, but was upset by wild card Kanpur. Their lone ILCS appearance came in 1992 with a loss to the Animals.

Kushwaha was plenty good in the playoffs with a 5-0 record, 2.62 ERA, 44.2 innings, 64 stirkeouts, 124 ERA+, and 1.5 WAR. He led again in strikeouts in 1992, but also walks, taking third in POTY voting. Kushwaha won the award for the first tiem in 1993 as the leader in wins (21-5), WAR (8.8), and quality starts (29). This also saw a career-best 2.08 ERA.

Delhi gave Kushwaha a three-year, $3,130,000 extension after the 1993 campaign. He was second in 1994 POTY voting, leading in strikeouts and WAR for the third time each. 1995 would see a significant setback with ulnar nerv entrapment in late July, knocking him out for five months. He had a respectable bounce back in 1996, his final season with the Drillers.

For Delhi, Kushwaha had a 115-65 record, 2.39 ERA, 1718.2 innings, 2364 strikeouts, 577 walks, 136 ERA+, 169/212 quality starts, 64 FIP-, and 52.6 WAR. The Drillers would later retire his #6 uniform and he’d remain a popular franchise figure into retirement.

Kushwaha would enter free agency at age 29 and like many top players of his era, the options were limited to the Ahmedabad and Ho Chi Minh City dynasties. Those teams’ wealth from their success and the financial woes of other squads made free agency a restrictive thing. Kushwaha opted not to sign anywhere in 1997, but ultimately joined HCMC in 1998 on a two-year, $1,770,000 deal.

It was a great debut for Kushwaha, winning his second Pitcher of the Year. He led the Southeast Asia League in strikeouts, WHIP, shutouts, FIP-, and WAR. His 10.4 WAR was a career best and it was his fourth time leading in WAR and strikeouts. Kushwaha also had a no-hitter on June 6 with 14 Ks and 1 walk against Johor Bahru. Kushwaha posted a 2.17 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 29 playoff innings as Ho Chi Minh City lost in the 1998 SAB finals to Ahmedabad.

On April 26, 1999, Kushwaha suffered a damaged elbow ligament that knocked him out 26 months in total. He only made seven starts in 1999 and was unemployed in 2000 while rehabbing. HCMC brought him back in 2001 on a one-year deal, although a sore shoulder plagued him. Kushwaha struggled with a 6.10 ERA in his two playoff starts as well. In total for the Hedgehogs, he had a 29-8 record, 2.54 ERA, 358 innings, 462 strikeouts, 142 ERA+, and 12.9 WAR.

Now 34-years old, Yangon signed Kushwaha in 2002. He looked good when healthy, but a sprained ankle and sore shoulder cost him about half of the season. The Green Dragons brought him back in 2003 and he had a respectable mostly complete season. Forearm inflammation cost him any playoff time.

With Yangon, Kushwaha had a 23-9 record, 3.30 ERA, 321.1 innings, 317 stirkeouts, 91 walks, 115 ERA+, and 6.2 WAR. Kushwaha was still only 36 years old, but the injuries had taken a toll on him. He decided to retire from the game after the 2003 campaign.

Kushwaha ended with a 167-82 record, 2.54 ERA, 2398 innings, 3143 strikeouts, 746 walks, 231/307 quality starts, 71 complete games, 134 ERA+, 67 FIP-, and 71.6 WAR. Even with the injuries, Kushwaha still ranks 16^th all-time in pitching WAR as of 2037. His fastball was unhittable in his prime, helping him earn 93.7% in his Hall of Fame ballot debut. Thus, Kushwaha was the headliner for SAB’s 2009 class.



Abdul “Echo” Deepkaran – Second Base – Yangon Green Dragons – 79.5% Fourth Ballot

Abdul Deepkaran was a 5’11’’, 185 pound right-handed second baseman from Amritsar Cantonment, India; a small town of 11,000 in the state of Punjab. Deepkaran was a good contact hitter with a very solid pop in his bat, averaging 36 doubles, 27 home runs, and 9 triples per his 162 game average. His walk rate and strikeout rate were both below average, but he did reliable damage when he made contact.

Deepkaran’s speed was better than most, but he was a middling baserunner. He exclusively played second base for his career and graded out as delightfully average. However, guys who could field the spot respectively and provide a reliable bat weren’t easy to find. Deepkaran was fairly durable and was scrappy, known as a hard-working sparkplug type. His work ethic especially endeared him to fans, making him one of the most popular guys of his era.

In June 1983, Deepkaran was signed as a teenage amateur by Yangon, making the move from India to Mynamar. He debuted in 1986 with 73 games and 34 starts at age 21. Deepkaran earned the starting job after that and held it for nine years with the Green Dragons. Apart from 1994 due to torn ankle ligaments, Deepkaran started 140+ games each full season for Yangon.

Deepkaran led the Southeast Asia League in doubles in both 1989 and 1990. After the 1990 season, Deepkaran inked a five-year, $3,910,000 extension. In 1991, he won his lone batting title by leading with a .344 verage and 206 hits. This also saw a career-best 9.1 WAR, grabbing his lone MVP.

Deepkaran wasn’t otherwise a league leader type, but he posted 5+ WAR in six seasons for Yangon. He wasn’t an MVP finalist in any other year, but won Silver Sluggers for the Green Dragons from 1987-91 and in both 1993 and 1995.

Yangon made it to the SEAL Championship in 1990, but lost to the Ho Chi Minh City dynasty. The Green Dragons struggled the next four years, but made it back to the SEAL finals in 1995 and lost again to HCMC. 1995 marked the start of a lengthy playoff streak for Yangon, although it also marked the end of Deepkaran’s run there.

With Yangon, Deepkaran had 1577 hits, 735 runs, 342 doubles, 94 triples, 243 home runs, 878 RBI, a .294/.341/.529 slash, 144 wRC+, and 55.5 WAR. While still popular with many Green Dragons fans, some were irked by him leaving in free agency heading into his age 31 season. He left for the evil empire HCMC, joining the Hedgehogs on a five-year, $8,600,000 deal.

Deepkaran won Silver Sluggers for Ho Chi Minh City in 1996, 97, and 98; giving him ten for his career. He was the first player in SEAL history to win ten Sluggers. Injuries would cost him a few weeks of each of his HCMC seasons, but he was always healthy for the playoffs. During his tenure, the Hedgehogs won pennants in 1997, 98, 99, and 2000; each year facing Ahmedabad in the SAB Championship. They finally beat the Animals and won it all in both 1997 and 2000.

For his playoff career with HCMC, Deepkaran had 62 starts, 62 hits, 26 runs, 15 doubles, 3 triples, 8 home runs, 25 RBI, a .271/.327/.467 slash, 131 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR. Often times, those playoff numbers came came at the expense of his former team Yangon. Deepkaran took LCS MVP in both the 1997 and 1998 runs.

Deepkaran also was popular back home in India, playing for the national team from 1988-2001 in the World Baseball Championship. He had 108 games and 97 starts with 94 hits, 54 runs, 19 doubles, 6 triples, 17 home runs, 45 RBI, a .283/.355/.530 slash, 153 wRC+, and 3.5 WAR.

Back injuries kept him out almost half of the 2000 season and saw his numbers drop. Deepkaran became a free agent for 2001 and went unsigned, although he still played in that year’s WBC. He retired in the winter at age 36. With HCMC, he had 561 hits, 296 runs, 113 doubles, 100 home runs, 290 RBI, a .274/.325/.499 slash, 137 wRC+, and 19.4 WAR.

Deepkaran finished with 2138 hits, 1031 runs, 455 doubles, 118 triples, 343 home runs, 1168 RBI, a .288/.337/.520 slash, 142 wRC+, and 74.9 WAR. As of 2037, he’s third all-time in WAR among second basemen. The trouble for him is that he shared a position and era with two all-timers in Tirtha Upadhyaya and V.J. Williams. Because of that perhaps, Deepkaran missed the cut in his first three ballots.

He only narrowly missed the 66% requirement with 57.1%, 64.3%, and 63.6% in his first three ballots. The fourth time got Deepkaran over the hump for his deserved spot. He received 79.5% to join the SAB Hall of Fame in the 2009 voting.