In a major update before the IPL 2025 season, Umran Malik Ruled Out of IPL 2025, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have officially announced that their ace fast bowler will not be available for the forthcoming season due to injury. To compensate for the loss of Malik’s services, KKR has recruited the prolific left-arm bowler, Chetan Sakariya, in place of Malik for the season. Sakariya, 27 years old, has been acquired by KKR for INR 75 Lakh.
KKR’s Speed Sensation Umran Malik Ruled Out of IPL 2025
Umran Malik, who was originally selected by KKR in the IPL 2025 mega auction for INR 75 Lakh, is now ruled out of the competition. The speedster’s absence has been a setback for the defending champions, who had been looking to use his pace and bounce in their title defense.
Despite having a bright career, Malik has not been able to maintain consistency in the IPL, never playing a complete season except for his exceptional year in 2022.
Malik’s most recent international game was in 2023, and since then, he has been unavailable for the international scene, which again cooled down his chances for IPL 2025. With only 26 IPL appearances, KKR will now have to depend on other players to take his place in the pace unit.
Chetan Sakariya to substitute Umran Malik
To cover for Malik’s absence, KKR management has made Chetan Sakariya the standby player. The 27-year-old right-arm fast bowler has the experience of playing in 19 IPL matches, where he took 20 wickets. His IPL performance has been promising, and his capacity to bowl under pressure will be crucial for KKR in IPL 2025.
Sakariya has played for India in an ODI and two T20Is after his exceptional performance in domestic cricket. With his reputation earned through pace and accuracy, Sakariya has been a significant buy for KKR. Based on his IPL experience, Sakariya promises to be a fantastic member of KKR’s bowling squad.
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KKR’s Updated Squad for IPL 2025
KKR IPL 2025 schedule:
| Match | Location | Date | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RR vs KKR | Guwahati | March 26 | Wednesday | 7:30 PM |
| MI vs KKR | Mumbai | March 31 | Tuesday | 7:30 PM |
| KKR vs SRH | Kolkata | April 3 | Thursday | 7:30 PM |
| KKR vs LSG | Kolkata | April 6 | Sunday | 3:30 PM |
| CSK vs KKR | Chennai | April 11 | Friday | 7:30 PM |
| PBKS vs KKR | New Chandigarh | April 15 | Tuesday | 7:30 PM |
| KKR vs GT | Kolkata | April 21 | Monday | 7:30 PM |
| KKR vs PBKS | Kolkata | April 26 | Saturday | 7:30 PM |
| DC vs KKR | Delhi | April 29 | Tuesday | 7:30 PM |
| KKR vs RR | Kolkata | May 4 | Sunday | 3:30 PM |
| KKR vs CSK | Kolkata | May 7 | Wednesday | 7:30 PM |
| SRH vs KKR | Hyderabad | May 10 | Saturday | 7:30 PM |
| RCB vs KKR | Bengaluru | May 17 | Saturday | 7:30 PM |
KKR will be captained by Ajinkya Rahane and vice-captained by Venkatesh Iyer. The team will have several experienced internationals and young guns, with Chetan Sakariya being one of the most notable additions to IPL 2025. The full KKR team for IPL 2025 is as follows:
– Ajinkya Rahane (captain)
– Venkatesh Iyer (vice-captain)
– Quinton de Kock (wk)
– Rovman Powell (wk)
– Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk)
– Luvnith Sisodia (wk)
– Manish Pandey
– Angkrish Raghuvanshi
– Ramandeep Singh
– Rinku Singh
– Moeen Ali
– Sunil Narine
– Andre Russell
– Anukul Roy
– Vaibhav Arora
– Spencer Johnson
– Mayank Markande
– Anrich Nortje
– Chetan Sakariya
– Varun Chakravarthy
The IPL 2025 Tournament Opener: KKR vs RCB
KKR’s IPL 2025 season will begin against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on March 22, 2025, at the legendary Eden Gardens in Kolkata. This will be a thrilling beginning to the tournament, and KKR will hope to retain their IPL title despite the loss due to Malik’s injury.
The non-availability of Umran Malik for the IPL 2025 season is a big setback for KKR, but the franchise has moved fast in finding a replacement by acquiring Chetan Sakariya.
With the season kicking off in a while, KKR fans will be keeping their fingers crossed that the recruit can step up and assist the defending champions in defending their title. The team will have to bounce back and get used to the change as they look to another fruitful season in the IPL.
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