SRH vs KKR IPL 2026: Kolkata Knight Riders batter Manish Pandey lacks the same statistics or accolades as Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, and his career is not as extensive. When the Kolkata franchise announced his inclusion in the playing XI for their IPL 2026 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he became only the third player, alongside Kohli and Rohit, to participate in every edition across 19 seasons.
While Virat has played for one team and Rohit for two, Pandey has represented multiple IPL franchises: Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Pune Warriors India, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Lucknow Super Giants, Delhi Capitals, and KKR.
He made history as the first Indian batter to score a century in the tournament against RCB in IPL 2009. His standout performance for Kolkata came in the 2014 final, when he scored 90 off 54 balls to secure the team's second title, and he later returned to help them win their third title in 2024.
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After 174 IPL matches, he has accumulated 3942 runs, including 22 fifties and one century. This total includes three matches in IPL 2025, where he scored 92 runs at an average of 46 and a strike rate of 141.54.
Who has Manish Pandey replaced in KKR’s 11?
Pandey has replaced KKR all-rounder Ramandeep Singh in the playing XI. The decision stems from Ramandeep's recent decline in form after IPL 2024. In the current season, he has scored only 82 runs in six matches at a strike rate of 120.
The other factor is Rinku Singh's return to form as a finisher, reinforcing the team's confidence that both he and Rovman Powell can fulfill those roles.
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KKR’s 11: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (WK), Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakaravarthy
Impact player who’ll come in in the second innings: Finn Allen