After going unsold at the Indian Premier League auctions in February, Indian pacer Ishant Sharma had a slice of luck after Kings XI Punjab called him up to their squad on Tuesday. According to a Times of India report, the man responsible for Ishant Sharma’s call-up was his former India teammate and current Kings XI Punjab head of cricket operations Virender Sehwag.
Speaking to the newspaper after his first training session with the team, Sharma said, “A couple of days back, Viru bhai called up and asked if I am free. That’s how it worked out.”
The 28-year old, having played for Deccan Chargers, Rising Pune Supergiants, Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad brings with him a wealth of tournament experience for the Preity Zinta-owned team who have never won the IPL.
Sharma also referred to the fact that he was relatively fresh as compared to some of the other pacers during India’s home Test season, having played only five of their 13 matches.
The pacer, who went unsold at the auction primarily due to his high base price of Rs 2 crore, was looking to turn out for a county side, “I was not in a holiday mode. I was planning to play county cricket and was in search of a contract. In fact, when you don’t get a team at IPL auction, you have to play somewhere.”
The Kings XI Punjab get their campaign underway against one of Sharma’s former teams Rising Pune Supergiant on Saturday.
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