Kolkata Knight Riders' Ali Khan is first USA cricketer to be part of IPL
Kolkata Knight Riders' new recruit Ali Khan has created history as he became the first USA cricketer to be part of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The right-arm pacer has been named by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as a replacement for Harry Gurney.
Ali Khan was a member of the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR), the sister franchise of KKR, which won the Caribbean Premier League 2020. Ali Khan took 8 wickets in as many matches for TKR. He has been closely associated with KKR owner Shah Rukh Khan and Venky Mysore since 2018.
He is all set to join his new teammates soon. The 29-year-old pacer was born and brought up in Pakistan while he moved to the USA at the age of 18. There he made it to the USA's cricket team.
He has played just one ODI but he is well-known in the various T20 leagues. Khan has played the Caribbean Premier League, Pakistan Super League, Global T20 Canada, Abu Dhabi T10 league, Bangladesh Premier League among the others.
Ali Khan was the only player from the USA who had registered for IPL 2020 auction. He has been part of Trinbago Knight Riders since 2018. He took 16 wickets in 2018, 10 wickets in 2019, and 8 wickets in 2020.
Also Read | Kolkata Knight Riders' complete squad and schedule for IPL 2020
Interestingly, there have been two players in the past who played for the USA after their IPL stint. Punjab's Sunny Sohail, who played for Kings XI Punjab, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Deccan Chargers, moved to the USA. Likewise, Rusty Theron, who played for South Africa and in IPL, now represents the USA.
-PTC News
