Dubai: An American cricketer set to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL)!
Sounds strange, no? But it’s true.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have brought on board seamer Ali Khan as a replacement for injured England pacer Harry Gurney. The 29-year-old Khan will be the first cricketer from the USA to feature in the world’s most popular T20 league.
Khan is a member of the Caribbean Premier League 2020-winning team Trinbago Knight Riders, a sister franchise of KKR. He was one of the best bowlers in the recently-held CPL, bagging eight wickets at an economy rate of 7.43.
Known to clock 140 kmph regularly, Khan possesses a good yorker as well. He first featured in the Global T20 Canada meet in 2018 before being picked by Dwayne Bravo for Trinbago. Khan went on to play in the Bangladesh Premier League and Pakistan Super League too.
Ali had registered for the IPL auction, which took place in January this year, but wasn’t picked by any team.
The 13th edition of IPL, being held in the UAE, gets under way on September 19 with defending champions Mumbai Indians taking on runners-up Chennai Super Kings.
KKR will open their campaign on September 23, against Mumbai Indians.
