Shakib, Liton to play for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL
Bangladesh Test and Twenty20 captain Shakib Al Hasan and wicketkeeper-batsman Liton Das will play for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after being picked by the franchise in the mini-auction held in Kochi, India on Friday.
Liton was picked by KKR for his base price of Rupees five million in the accelerated auction after going unpicked in the first round.
Shakib is set to begin his third stint with KKR, after being picked up by the franchise for his base price of Rupees 15 million in the final accelerated auction of the day.
Shakib had begun his IPL journey with KKR way back in 2011, stayed with the franchise till 2017, winning two championship titles in 2012 and 2014 respectively.
In 2018, he was picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad at the auction and played there for two seasons.
After missing out from the 2020 edition due to an ICC ban, Shakib returned to IPL in 2021, again getting picked by KKR.
But after a lukewarm season, the all-rounder was let go and he couldn't find a new IPL home in the mega auction held for the 2022 season.
Shakib now has the chance to make amends for his poor season in 2021 and help KKR, who have been struggling in the past few seasons, to once again return to the top of the IPL.
On the other hand, this will be Liton’s first stint at the IPL. He is the seventh Bangladeshi to get picked to play in the cash-rich league after Abdur Razzaq, Mohammad Ashraful, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Shakib, Tamim Iqbal and Mustafizur Rahman.
Liton and Shakib are set to join their compatriot Mustafiz in the 2023 edition of the IPL. Unlike Shakib and Liton, Mustafiz wasn't part of the mini-auction as his last year's franchise, Delhi Capitals, had retained his services for the forthcoming edition.
Two more Bangladeshi cricketers- Afif Hossain, Taskin Ahmed- were available in the auction, but none of the 10 franchises showed interest to secure their services.