In-form Tamil Nadu duo Shahrukh Khan and R Sai Kishore – who were part the Mushtaq Ali Trophy victory in 2021 – have been named as stand-by players in the Indian T20 squad for the upcoming series against the West Indies, which is set to begin on February 16, three days after the IPL 2022 mega auction.
The India call-up will mean that both the players will miss the start of the Ranji Trophy, about which the BCCI is soon to make an announcement. The tournament will take place over two legs in 2022 after there was massive backlash pertaining to the board’s inability to conduct the competition.
Kishore and Khan have been key members of Tamil Nadu’s renaissance in white-ball cricket over the past few years. Kishore has emerged as a revelation, with his ability to pick up regular wickets in addition to being able to bowl in the powerplay and the death overs.
Shahrukh has become a force to reckon with, with the bat, as he was instrumental in his side’s nail-biting victory over Karnataka in the finals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in late 2021.
Kishore picked up three crucial wickets for Tamil Nadu in the finals of the SMAT, while Khan’s excellent cameo of 33* in 15 balls took the side over the line, as he scored a maximum off the last ball of the innings to seal the trophy.
Khan has perfected his role as a finisher over the last few years, while Sai Kishore has had a tremendous rise to the top, beginning from the TNPL, as he was most recently part of the Chepauk Super Gilles’ title win. Sai Kishore picked up 12 wickets in just seven games at a mind-boggling economy rate of just 5.85, as he finished second on the wicket-takers’ charts.
Both these talented stars are likely to attract a lot of attention come the IPL mega auctions, which are around the corner. Both uncapped players, they could start some bidding wars at the auction table come February 12.
Khan was previously part of the Punjab Kings squad, and was bought for a whopping 5.25 crore in the 2021 Indian Premier League auctions. Sai Kishore has been a part of the Chennai Super Kings franchise since the 2019 season but has not made his debut as of yet.
