SRINAGAR: Kashmir cricketer Umran Malik has been picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad as a short-term replacement for the second leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 in the UAE. The 21-year-old pacer was picked by SRH as a replacement to T Natarajan, who was tested with COVID recently inside the bubble, reports appearing in the media said.
Malik is apparently the fourth Jammu and Kashmir cricketer who will be playing for the IPL. Earlier, Parvez Rasool, Abdul Samad and Rasikh Salam had appeared in the IPL. While Rasool has previously played for multiple franchises and India as well, Salam had a brief stint with Mumbai Indians. Samad has been a regular for SRH.
Congratulations J&k for yet another selection in the IPL. The tree still giving fruits. Keep it going #umranmalik
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) September 25, 2021
Irfan Pathan has congratulated Malik for the honour. “Congratulations J&k for yet another selection in the IPL. The tree still giving fruits. Keep it going #umranmalik,” Pathan wrote on his official Twitter account. Earlier, Pathan spent last few years of his professional career with the Jammu and Kashmir cricket team. He was the player and mentor of the team.
Malik will be part of the Sunrisers team until T Natarajan recovers and comes back in the squad. He has played only two white-ball games so far for his state team. The right-arm bowler played a T20 match against Railways earlier this year, picking three wickets and giving 24 runs from his four-over spell. Before that, he played just one List A match against Bengal where he conceded 98 runs in 10 overs picking up one wicket. Given SRH’s bowling department’s variety, it is unlikely that the young bowler will get a chance in the XI. Nevertheless, it should be a learning experience for him.
