Yusuf Pathan expresses his elation as he joins the Orange Army

When the Indian Premier League (IPL) kick-started all those years ago, a certain Yusuf Pathan kept demolishing all the bowling lineups with sheer ease. He was a part of the winning team in the inaugural edition and pretty much took his team home. He eventually earned a national call-up and was also included in the Indian squad for the 2011 ICC World Cup, which India won.

A World Cup winner, a 3-time IPL winner (Once with Rajasthan Royals and twice with Kolkata Knight Riders), Yusuf remains an indispensable part of the IPL. The biggest cricketing league in the world enters its second decade of existence and the new season promises to be a lot more exciting. A lot of players will be seen wearing different jerseys and some of which might seem heart-breaking for the fans. Yusuf represented Kolkata Knight Riders for the last seven years and this time around, he’s switched all the way south.

He will now be a part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad, who have been doing extremely well under the hierarchy of the exceptional trio of Tom Moody, VVS Laxman, and Muttiah Muralitharan. Sunrisers won the 2016 edition of the league by defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final and they’ll be delighted to have him on their side.

It was a lovely journey with KKR: Yusuf

After earning a Rs. 1.9 crore contract with the Orange Army, Pathan expressed his ecstasy on his official Twitter handle. He also conveyed his gratitude for the Kolkata Knight Riders camp, saying his journey with the men in purple was “Lovely”.

“It was a lovely journey with Kolkata for the last 7 years, would like to thank them for everything. I am looking forward to the upcoming season of the IPL and really excited to be a part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad now,” Pathan told CricTracker immediately after the signing.

The swashbuckling middle order can fit in very well into Hyderabad’s scheme of things as the franchise has been hunting for a power-packed middle order player for a long time now. With Pathan in the house, they definitely got that box ticked.

It was a lovely journey with @KKRiders for the last 7 years, would like to thank them for everything. Excited to be a part of the #OrangeArmy now @SunRisers #IPL2018Auction https://t.co/Y0APIkh82X

— Yusuf Pathan (@iamyusufpathan) January 27, 2018

The #OrangeArmy is kicked to have you part of the squad @iamyusufpathan .
You ready to #LiveOrange ?#IPLAuction pic.twitter.com/Pc4OIanydO

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) January 27, 2018