IPL 2018: Players who will reunite in different teams this season - Part I

The Indian Premier League has arguably become one of the most sought-after cricketing competitions in the world. Within 11 years, it has changed the landscape of the game completely. A product of the times we live in, it has bought people from different cultures, backgrounds, thought processes, experiences and skill sets together. Back in the 2000s, who would have thought that someone like Ricky Ponting would be the captain of a side (that too Indian!) that too a side that has Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh!

Great friendships and camaraderie has seen between players who would quite possibly, be rivals when their nations take each other on. This season, many of them have been reunited with a different franchise, having played together in the same team in the past seasons as well.

In Part I, here are the other 9 sets of players whose reunion is bound to excite supporters of their respective franchises:

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#1 - Yusuf Pathan, Shakib al Hasan and Manish Pandey

Manish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan were KKR's biggest Indian names during their stint with the franchise

The trio formed the nucleus of the Kolkata Knight Riders outfit, alongside Gautam Gambhir. There was never a doubt that KKR were on the winning side when either of these three came up with stellar performances.

Both all-rounders, Pathan and Shakib were snapped up by KKR in the 2011 IPL auction. In their seven seasons, the side won the IPL title twice. Pathan had a greater influence, getting more opportunities to play considering how the team was flexible in rotating their foreign players depending on conditions. Yet, Shakib too was a force to consider on slower pitches with his left-arm spin and was handy with the bat lower down the order.

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Shakib al Hasan became popular amongst Indian fans courtesy his time at KKR

But it seems KKR wanted a change in their team composition and that could be why they weren’t retained in 2018, as both of them headed to Sunrisers Hyderabad eventually

On the other hand, Manish Pandey was picked up in the 2014 auction and in the same season, KKR won their second title. Pandey was the Man of the Match for his spectacular and nerveless 50-ball 94 in the final against Kings XI Punjab in Bangalore. His average for an Indian batsman at the top of the order made other franchises break the bank for him this season, and SRH succeeded with a Rs. 11 crore bid. 

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