Veteran KKR Star Achieves Unique Feat. Only Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma Have Done It
Kolkata Knight Riders batter Manish Pandey became the third cricketer to play at least one match in every season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
- Manish Pandey became the third cricketer to play at least one match in every season of IPL
- The KKR star has also represented Mumbai Indians, RCB, Pune Warriors, SRH, Lucknow Super Giants, and DC
- Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are the only other players to achieve this sensational feat
Kolkata Knight Riders batter Manish Pandey became the third cricketer to play at least one match in every season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Pandey was included in the KKR playing XI for the IPL 2026 encounter against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday. The KKR star has also represented Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Pune Warriors, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Lucknow Super Giants, and Delhi Capitals. While Virat Kohli is the only cricketer to achieve this feat with a single franchise (RCB), Rohit Sharma has also played in every IPL season, starting with the Deccan Chargers and later moving to the Mumbai Indians.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) won the toss and opted to bat first against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
After winning the toss, SRH captain Pat Cummins said the team chose to bat first as the pitch looked good for a high-scoring game despite the heat. He credited the team's success to both young players and experienced ones finding form, with consistent high totals and everyone committing to an aggressive and positive style of play.
"We'll bat first. Pitch looks good and it's very hot, we'll bat and post a total. I'm not good at reading the pitches, it looks nice and must be high scoring. I think the thing is the young guys have come in and been fantastic. A lot of the stalwarts, as well, have really hit their stride. I think we've got over 220 all but one game. So it just feels like everyone's, you know, found their rhythm, built themselves in the tournament, playing that style that we want, which is really positive and everyone's bought into that," Cummins said at the toss presentations.
SRH have been impressively consistent this season, securing six wins from nine matches so far. With 12 points on the board, they currently sit third in the IPL 2026 standings. A victory against the Kolkata Knight Riders would further strengthen their already strong chances of making the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders had a poor start to their Indian Premier League 2026 campaign despite having bounced back with a couple of recent wins. Led by Ajinkya Rahane, the side has only managed two wins in eight matches so far, with one no-result.
(With ANI inputs)
Manish Pandey
Virat Kohli
Rohit Sharma
Kolkata Knight Riders
Sunrisers Hyderabad