Yusuf Pathan has flown home to be with his wife for the birth of their first child. The all-rounder miss Kolkata Knight Riders' second IPL game against the Delhi Daredevils on Saturday.
Yusuf Pathan will miss Kolkata Knight Riders' second game against Delhi Daredevils on April 19 after he flew back to Vadodara from the United Arab Emirates for the birth of his first child. Yusuf wed Afreen in March last year.
The former Indian all-rounder has been an important member for the Knight Riders after beginning his IPL stint with the Rajasthan Royals. Yusuf was not needed much in his KKR's emphatic 41-run win over defending champions Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabhi in the opening game on Wednesday. Yusuf faced four deliveries to remain unbeaten on four and was not called upon to bowl as KKR defended 163 easily. (IPL amazing stat: Gambhir's 8th duck and Narine's fastest 50 )
Thirty-one-year-old Yusuf has been in good form leading up to the IPL, scoring 135 runs at 67.50 from four matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. KKR coach Trevor Bayliss says Yusuf will be a key member for the 2012 Indian Premier League champions.
Kolkata Knight Riders had retained only Gautam Gambhir and Sunil Narine before the players' auctions this year but made it a point to buy back Yusuf for Rs 3.25 crores using the newly-introduced 'joker's card.' Yusuf has so far scored 1824 runs in 92 IPL games with an impressive strike rate of 146.97. Yusuf's younger brother Irfan will play for Sunrisers Hyderabad this season.
Story first published on: Thursday, 17 April 2014 19:54
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