Fast-paced bowler Umran Malik has signed for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL). He comes not as a player right now but for rehabilitation. KKR put out a message on their social media account, which reads, “Umran Malik has come to Kolkata to continue his rehab and ‘return to cricket’ program with KKR for the rest of the season.” The team also stated that he will not officially play but will work towards getting fit with the team.
Malik was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) after the 2024 season and subsequently went to KKR at Rs 75 lakhs during a big auction in Jeddah last year. However, due to injury, he could not attend the tournament and therefore KKR brought in left-arm fast bowler Chetan Sakariya as his replacement.
Umran made his IPL debut in 2021 with SRH, having a wonderful season in 2022, where he managed to bag 22 wickets in 14 games with an economy of 9.03, including a five-wicket haul. Sadly, he had a down year in 2023 and 2024 seasons, which led to his release by SRH.
He has also played eight T20Is and 10 ODIs for India, where he has claimed 24 wickets and is regularly clocking 155 kmph, making him one of the fastest bowlers around. KKR is currently placed seventh with six points and a net run rate of +0.212, with their next game against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on April 26 at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
