When Sourav Ganguly Backed Shoaib Akhtar at KKR During Inaugural IPL Season!

Mumbai: More than a decade after his stint with KKR in the inaugural edition of the cash-rich IPL, former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar recalled how then KKR captain Sourav Ganguly backed him to the hilt. Despite coach John Buchanan not having confidence in an injury-prone Akhtar, Ganguly stuck his nose out to get the former Pakistan cricketer in the playing XI.

“I was serving a ban when I joined the KKR camp and hadn’t played matches. John Buchanan told Sourav Ganguly that he doesn’t think I am fit enough. To which Ganguly replied that he has always been unfit. Don’t worry about him. It will be okay even if he’s half unfit,” Akhtar revealed this during a chat with Harbhajan Singh on Sportskeeda.

Akhtar managed to pick up five wickets in the same and had a decent economy rate of 7.71. In his debut for KKR, he bagged four wickets against Delhi Capitals at the Eden Gardens.

Back them Akhtar was KKR’s first pick at the auction. The Knight Riders lapped him up for a whopping $425,000.

Akhtar could not be a part of the tournament after the edition due to the political tension between India and Pakistan.

Back in his prime, Akhtar was hailed as the fastest bowler to have played the game. He clocked 150+ at will and terrorised batters all over the world.

Nowadays, Akhtar is often seen as an expert on TV channels in Pakistan and in India. The ex=Pakistani cricketer has a massive fanbase in India.