KKR Slammed Over Releasing Sunrisers Hyderabad's New Pace Sensation: "Wasn't Getting Chance"

Former Indian cricket team batter Manoj Tiwary slammed Kolkata Knight Riders for not utilising fast bowler Sakib Hussain after the youngster's heroics for Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday. The pacer was in sensational form during his IPL debut against Rajasthan Royals as he took four wickets including the major wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal. Sunrisers Hyderabad went on to beat Rajasthan Royals by 57 runs and Hussain was praised by both experts as well as fans. Hussain was part of the KKR setup between 2024 and 2025 but did not play a single match for the franchise. He was released ahead of the IPL 2026 auction and Sunrisers Hyderabad bought him for the base price of Rs 30 lakh.

Tiwary said that KKR have released good players in the past and cited the examples of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer.

“I have seen him; he (Sakib) was in the KKR squad for many years, but he wasn't getting a chance there. We have seen KKR release some good players. If they hadn't released him, then he wouldn't have come to the Sunrisers," he said on Cricbuzz.

With Harshit Rana and Akash Deep getting ruled out and Matheesha Pathirana not joining the franchise till now, KKR have been facing major problems in the pace bowling department. 

Two debutants, SRH's Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain played key roles in their team's win by taking four wickets each. Praful Hinge, 24, and 21-year-old Sakib Hussain, who SRH played instead of domestic and India veterans Harshal Patel and Jaydev Unadkat, claimed figures of 4/34 in 4 overs and 4/24 in 4 overs, respectively.

“No one expected two debutants to perform in this way in their very first match. The SRH bowling coaches had confidence in them and those who follow domestic cricket knew their ability," Tiwary said.

(With agency inputs)

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Topics mentioned in this article

Kolkata Knight Riders Rajasthan Royals Sunrisers Hyderabad Sakib Hussain Manoj Tiwary IPL 2026 Cricket