5 KKR stars who didn't play a single match in IPL 2024 but won the title

KKR clinched their third IPL trophy after defeating SRH in the IPL 2024 final.

It was a dream come true moment for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and their fans as the Men in Purple and Gold won their third Indian Premier League (IPL) title. KKR beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2024 final in a one-sided affair and lifted the trophy at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. With this, Shreyas Iyer added his name to the list of IPL-winning captains.

The Knight Riders had topped the points table in the league stage before dominating Qualifier 1 and the final against SRH. Every player in their playing XI contributed to their success, and it was a complete team effort. KKR won the title with 23 players in their squad.

However, they didn’t require the services of every player on the field. There were five players who didn’t play a single game for them this season but still, they are IPL champions now. Here we will talk about the five KKR players who warmed the bench this season.

5 KKR Players who warmed the bench in the IPL 2024

1. Srikar Bharat

KS Bharat was signed by the Knight Riders at the IPL 2024 auction for a price of INR 50 lakhs. Bharat was previously part of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Delhi Capitals (DC), and Gujarat Titans (GT), but won his first IPL title with the Knight Riders.

He was the backup keeper for Kolkata. The Knight Riders opted to play Phil Salt and then Rahmanullah Gurbaz as their wicket-keeper batters, and Bharat’s services in the playing XI were not needed. Hence, he didn’t feature in the playing XI in a single game this season. Notably, this was the second season in a row where Bharat didn’t get a game.

2. Sherfane Rutherford

West Indies all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford was roped in by the Knight Riders at the auction for his base price of INR 1.5 crores. He was part of four different teams earlier (DC, MI, RCB, and SRH), and KKR is his fifth IPL team. Rutherford was picked as a backup all-rounder to Russell. Since Russell played all matches, Rutherford had to warm the bench throughout the season.

3. Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar

The Gautam Gambhir-mentored franchise had picked Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman at the auction, but he was ruled out due to an injury. Hence, the Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise replaced Mujeeb with another Afgan spinner, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, for his base price of INR 20 lakhs.

The 16-year-old is an off-spinner. He didn’t get a game this season as the Knight Riders already had a settled spin-bowling unit, but he must have learned a lot from the likes of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy.

4. Chetan Sakariya

After getting released by Delhi Capitals, Chetan Sakariya found a new home when KKR bought him at a price of INR 50 lakhs at the auction. He was named in the list of Impact Players in a couple of games but didn’t get a chance to play. Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora were impressive, and hence Sakariya had to sit on the bench the whole season.

5. Sakib Hussain

19-year-old youngster Sakib Hussain was an uncapped player who KKR bought at the auction. He is a right-arm pacer who has played two T20s for Bihar. He was signed for his base price of INR 20 lakhs at the IPL 2024 auction. Though he didn’t get a chance, he got to learn from the likes of Mitchell Starc and Andre Russell.

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