Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders have lost the services of pacer Umran Malik ahead of IPL 2025 season, which gets underway on Saturday.
Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have suffered a big blow even before they can begin their title defence at the IPL 2025 season. KKR are set to play their opening match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday (March 22).
But with days to go for the season to get underway, KKR have lost the service of their tearaway pacer Umran Malik. The Jammu & Kashmir pacer was bought for Rs 75 lakh in the IPL 2025 mega auction last year.
Ajinkya Rahane-led side have now brought in Saurashtra left-arm seamer Chetan Sakariya as a replacement for pacer Umran Malik for the upcoming edition of the IPL 2025. Umran Malik is ruled out of the season due to an injury, according to the IPL media release.
Sakariya has represented India in an ODI and two T20Is and has played 19 IPL games, claiming 20 wickets from the same. He has joined the KKR squad for Rs. 75 lakh.
The left-arm pacer’s last appearance was in February 2024 for Saurashtra against Manipur in a Ranji Trophy encounter. Sakariya had suffered a left wrist injury which required surgery. With the bowler being injured at the time of mega auction last year, the franchises chose not to bid for him.
However, KKR bowling coach and former Team India assistant coach Bharat Arun noticed Sakariya bowling in a T20 match in Mumbai. With Sakariya finding his rhythm in club cricket, Arun invited the Saurashtra pacer to be a net bowler for the Knight Riders in Kolkata.
With Umran Malik finally being ruled out for the season, KKR decided to sign up Sakariya. The young pacer has had a tragic past – losing his father to COVID-19 and his brother, who committed suicide, in 2021.
IPL 2025 Injury Replacements:
Corbin Bosch for Lizaad Williams (MI)
Mujeeb Rahman for Allah Ghazanfar (MI)
Wiaan Mulder for Brydon Carse (SRH)
Chetan Sakariya for Umran Malik (KKR) pic.twitter.com/Ir364ao2za
— All Cricket Records (@Cric_records45) March 17, 2025
KKR squad for IPL 2025…
Batters: Rinku Singh (retained), Rovman Powell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Luvnith Sisodia, Ajinkya Rahane (C)
Wicketkeepers: Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz
All-rounders: Venkatesh Iyer (pace), Andre Russell (pace; retained), Sunil Narine (spin; retained), Ramandeep Singh (pace; retained), Anukul Roy (spin), Moeen Ali (spin)
Spinners: Varun Chakravarthy (retained), Mayank Markande
Fast bowlers: Harshit Rana (retained), Vaibhav Arora, Anrich Nortje, Spencer Johnson, Chetan Sakariya
