KOCHI: Kerala pace bowler
Sandeep Warrier has been signed by
Kolkata Knight Riders
for the 2019 IPL season. Sandeep went unsold at the IPL auction held in December but an injury to Kamlesh Nagarkoti of Rajasthan has prompted the KKR management to look for a replacement and the Kerala quick's good form with the ball earned him a call-up.
Sandeep was priced at Rs 20 lakh in the auction but it is not yet clear how much his contract with the KKR is worth. Sandeep joined the team's training camp in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Sandeep, 27, was the standout bowler for Kerala in the
Ranji Trophy season claiming 44 wickets from 10 matches, his best returns in his six-year domestic career. Sandeep's bowling was instrumental in Kerala's maiden entry into the semifinals of the premier first-class competition in the country.
He followed that up with another impressive performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament with eight wickets, including a hat-trick, from six matches.
KKR will be the second IPL franchise Sandeep will be a part of. He was with Royal Challengers Bangalore for three seasons from 2013 to 2015 but did not find a place in the playing eleven in any of the matches.
Sandeep thus became the sixth player from Kerala to be part of an IPL team this season.
Sanju Samson and Midhun S (Rajasthan),
Jalaj Saxena (Delhi), Basil Thampi (Hyderabad) and Asif M (Chennai) are the others.
The 12th edition of the IPL is set to begin on March 23.