 "IPL 2025: Umran Malik ruled out due to an injury, KKR bring in replacement worth Rs 75 lakh")
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have suffered a setback ahead of the IPL 2025 season, with pacer Umran Malik being ruled out due to injury. To fill the void, KKR have signed left-arm seamer Chetan Sakariya as his replacement for INR 75 lakh.
Umran Malik, who made headlines in IPL 2021 with his 150kmph pace bowling, has struggled with fitness issues in recent years. Malik last featured in a competitive game during IPL 2024, where he played just one match for Sunrisers Hyderabad before being sidelined. His absence from domestic cricket has been prolonged, with a planned return in the Duleep Trophy 2024-25 getting derailed due to illness.
Malik’s international experience includes eight T20Is and 10 ODIs, in which he has picked up 11 and 13 wickets respectively.
Chetan Sakariya joins KKR as replacement
KKR have roped in Chetan Sakariya as a replacement for Umran Malik. Sakariya is a talented left-arm medium pacer who has previously played in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals. Sakariya last appeared in competitive cricket during the Ranji Trophy 2024, representing Saurashtra before getting injured.
The 26-year-old has two T20I caps and one ODI cap for India. In the IPL, Sakariya has featured in 19 matches, taking 20 wickets.
KKR look to defend IPL title
KKR, the defending champions, clinched the IPL 2024 title by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final. With the tournament set to kick off on 22 March, the franchise will be hoping to carry their momentum from last year. Ajinkya Rahane will captain KKR this season, replacing Shreyas Iyer. Kolkata are slated to play the opening game of the tournament against a star-studded Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), featuring India’s biggest sporting icon Virat Kohli.
KKR’s updated squad: Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, Ramandeep Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Anrich Nortje, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markande, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Spencer Johnson, Luvnith Sisodia, Ajinkya Rahane, Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali, Chetan Sakariya.
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