'Dad asked me to stay back and play IPL'

The former Kings XI Punjab player, who was bought for USD 350,000 in January auctions this year by the Delhi outfit, said his father has asked him to stay on and do well for his new team.

“My Dad has asked me to stay on and play the full IPL and be with my team through and through,” said Hopes.

“Yes, it is true that he has been diagnosed with it (cancer). But he is in great spirits. My mother is there with him and my elder brother, John, is also there in Brisbane. There was never any question of my going back to Australia to be with him. I have been speaking to my Dad and family after I got to know about him on Wednesday. He (Dad) laughed and said, ‘I will kill you if you come back. I want you to play and do well’. I don’t know where those reports of the possibility of my going back came from,” he added.

“The doctors have been very positive. They feel the diagnosis has happened at the right time and he will be undergoing surgery soon. He will spend some time in the hospital and the process is a long one. But things are in control said the doctors,” the
Australian all-rounder said.