Tim Seifert replaces Ali Khan at KKR

New Zealand wicketkeeper batsman Tim Seifert has been called up by the KKR squad to replace USA fast bowler Ali Khan, who has been ruled out of the 2020 IPL due to a side strain. 

Khan, who himself was roped in by KKR to replace left-arm seamer Harry Gurney, was carrying the strain from the Caribbean Premier League last month. There were questions on his fitness all along, but KKR had maintained that he was on his way back to match fitness and had been training regularly with the squad.

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The Knight Riders’ chief executive Venky Mysore had told ESPNcricinfo that while Khan’s injury was untimely, the franchise was optimistic about his recovery. “While we are disappointed that he injured himself, KKR always does everything to take care of its players and therefore have asked him to stay on and are helping him with his recovery and rehab. Hopefully, he will recover fast,” he had said.

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The news of Tim Seifert replacing Khan first emerged in a report in Stuff on Friday, which had mentioned that Northern Districts, Seifert’s domestic team, had ‘confirmed’ that the cricketer ‘was another absentee (for the Plunket Shield) in coming weeks, summoned to the IPL as a replacement player’. Seifert has turned out for New Zealand in three ODIs and 24 T20Is, and averages 22.85 with a strike rate of 139.75 in the latter.