The Mumbai Indians sensation Tilak Varma's father recalled his odd days when he overworked to ensure a great future for his son in cricket, and the deal of INR 1.70 crore in 2021 with MI eased the situation in the family. Like many cricketers, Tilak Varma too battled finances to step up in international cricket. Shedding light on the struggling days, senior Varma, Nagaraju, said that he had minimal sleep, did odd jobs, and was trying to meet the financial needs of his son. Speaking to Indian Express, Varma's father said, “I used to work till 12 at night and wake up at 3:30-4 in the morning. Sometimes it would be up at 1 am and on a few occasions, there was no sleep at all. Because once you have decided to do it there is no other way. Sometimes you think about those memories; I wonder how we even did it." Read also: Tilak Varma Net Worth: The Rising Star’s Earnings and Assets Tilak Varma's father recalls auction day The Andhra prodigy Tilak Varma came to the limelight after getting signed by MI and carried the team single-handedly on multiple occasions. He broke into the India team in 2023 and has been a consistent performer for India. Not only in India, Varma looks like a permanent member in MI, as the franchise retained him for 8 crore. However, his father still marked 2021 as 'the year' for the Varma family. Remembering the auction day, Varma's father said, “We were all sitting in front of the TV that day. First it was SRH. then Chennai and Mumbai came and bought him. The moment it crossed 1 crore, we were over the moon.” MI retained Tilak Varma for IPL 2025 alongside Hardik, Rohit, Bumrah, and Surya, valuing him at ₹8 crore—something his father surely appreciates.