For over seven decades, a relic of unparalleled sporting significance lay tucked away in the private archives of an Indian family, far from the prying eyes of historians and collectors. This item, a “Baggy Green” worn by the legendary Sir Donald Bradman, has finally surfaced and is set to go under the hammer at a highly anticipated auction. The cap was originally a gift from “The Don” himself to the Indian cricketer S.W. Sohoni during India’s historic first tour of Australia in the 1947–48 season.
The provenance of the cap is as touching as it is rare. S.W. Sohoni, who played four Test matches for India, maintained a quiet friendship with Bradman. After Sohoni’s passing in 1993, his descendants continued to guard the treasure with absolute discretion. It has survived three generations without ever being exhibited in a gallery or museum. Adding to its mystique, the inner lining of the cap bears a handwritten label featuring both Bradman’s name and that of Sohoni—a permanent testament to the bond between the two players.
Bradman’s Statistical Dominance: 1947–48 Series
The cap is believed to have been worn during that specific 1947–48 series, a period where Bradman displayed a “killer instinct” that decimated the Indian bowling attack. Even as he approached the end of his career, his figures remained astronomical, cementing his status as the greatest to ever play the game.
| Metric | Bradman’s 1947–48 Record |
| Total Runs | 715 |
| Batting Average | 178.75 |
| Centuries | 4 |
| Double Centuries | 1 (201 in Adelaide) |
| Innings | 6 |
A Potential Record-Breaking Sale
L Lloyds Auctions has placed this extraordinary piece of history on the block, with the bidding window set to close on 26 January, coinciding with Australia Day. While the auction opened with a nominal bid of just 1 Australian Dollar, the industry expects a final price in excess of $1 million. If it crosses this threshold, it would enter the rarefied air currently occupied only by the late Shane Warne, whose Baggy Green sold for $1,007,500 in 2020.
Previous sales of Bradman’s headwear have consistently reached six figures, with his debut cap fetching $450,000 in 2020 and another specimen selling for $480,000 just last year. However, auction house official Lee Hames suggests that this particular cap is “diamond-like” in its rarity, owing to its long seclusion and its direct connection to the historic Indo-Australian cricket relationship. For collectors, it represents the ultimate prize: a tangible link to a man who averaged 99.94, whose used items are now considered as much high-yield investments as they are pieces of sporting heritage.