3 players from SRH vs KKR who once played for the opposing franchise
In a virtually must-win game for both sides, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will face the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday, May 4. Both teams have not played their best cricket so far in IPL 2023 and are languishing in eighth and ninth respectively.
Out of eight games so far this season, the Sunrisers have won just three while the Knight Riders have won three out of their nine games. In the last encounter between the two teams in Kolkata, Harry Brook scored a scintillating hundred to win the match for his side. KKR will be looking to avenge their defeat at the Eden Gardens.
This game will feature several familiar faces that have played for the opposing franchise earlier in their career, adding to the excitement of this crunch game. With both teams, desperate for a positive result and not in their best form yet, this battle of equals promises to be a cracking contest.
On that note, let us look at three players who once played for the opposing franchise.
#1. Rahul Tripathi (SRH)
One of the many finds of MS Dhoni, Rahul Tripathi made his IPL debut for the Rising Pune Supergiants in 2017. He was then picked by the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2018 and was released before IPL 2020.
He represented KKR for the 2020 and the 2021 editions. In 28 matches he played for the franchise, he scored 627 runs with a best score of 81.
Tripathi, who was bought by SRH ahead of IPL 2022, had an excellent first season for the franchise scoring 413 runs in 14 matches at a fantastic average of 37.55 and a strike-rate of 158.24.
However, he has struggled to find form this season, scoring just 170 runs in eight matches at a low strike-rate of 114.86. He will be looking to make amends against his old franchise today.
#2. Jason Roy (KKR)
Jason Roy has so far represented the Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Lions, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL.
He was bought by the Sunrisers as a replacement for Mitchell Marsh ahead of IPL 2021. He played just five games, scoring 150 runs at an average of 30 and a reasonable strike-rate of 123.96. He was released by SRH before the mega auction of IPL 2022.
The South African-born English opener has been in tremendous form this season for KKR, scoring 160 runs in just three matches at a superb average of 53.33 and a strike-rate of 170.21. Roy will be hoping to inspire his team to victory against his former side.
#3. Shakib Al Hasan (KKR)
Shakib Al Hasan, who has opted out of this year's IPL owing to international cricket assignments and personal reasons, was supposed to play for KKR. He has played for the franchise in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2021. He won the IPL twice with KKR in 2012 and 2014. His absence has been a massive blow to the Knight Riders' plans this year.
He played for SRH for the 2018 and 2019 editions. In 20 matches for the franchise, he picked up 16 wickets and scored 248 runs but in most matches batted too low in the batting-order to make any impact.
With that, we complete our piece on 3 players from KKR and SRH that have played for the opposing franchises. Can you think of any other players? Let us know in the comments section below.