3 former PBKS players who are now with KKR in IPL 2023

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will host the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Eden Gardens on Monday, May 8. As we are heading to the business end of the tournament, the stakes are quite high and both teams will be desperate to get two points from the game.

They have had an interesting rivalry over the years defined by some nail-biting contests. The upcoming fixture promises to be another close one, between two sides that have both been inconsistent in IPL 2023. KKR are in a must-win position, while PBKS need to win to stay ahead of the other mid-table teams.

The two sides are packed with some superstars and the Knight Riders, in fact, also have a few players who have represented PBKS in the past. They will hope for those players to deliver strong performances against their former team.

On that note, here's a look at three current KKR players who have previously represented the Punjab Kings:

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#1 Mandeep Singh

Mandeep Singh is first on this list of KKR players who have previously represented the Punjab Kings. Mandeep played for the Mohali-based franchise from 2011-14 and 2019-21.

This year, Mandeep has featured in games, scoring 14 runs in three games at a disappointing average of 4.67. His strike-rate of is also extremely poor and has fetched him a lot of criticism.

Overall, he has played over 100 games in the IPL but it's safe to say that he hasn't justified the talent that he has.

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#2 Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur, who was traded from the Delhi Capitals ahead of the mini-auction, has also been a part of the Punjab Kings. He was part of the side back in 2015 and 2016 before moving to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

This year, Thakur's performances haven't been too impressive as he has picked up only four wickets in seven games. His economy rate of 10.79 is also alarmingly high.

KKR will hope for him to do well in the remaining games so as to keep the side in the hunt for the playoffs.

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#3 Varun Chakravarthy

Varun Chakravarthy's first IPL stint in 2019 came for the Punjab Kings. Ahead of the auction, he had put in some sensational performances in the domestic arena which led the Kings to sign him for a whopping sum of ₹8.4 crores. However, he had a poor season and was released ahead of the 2020 auction where he landed a deal with KKR.

This season, Chakravarthy has been outstanding, having picked up 14 wickets in 10 games. He has been one of Nitish Rana's trump cards and his performances have won him two Player of the Match awards.