Were forced to look for Kishan's alternatives after...: Muralitharan reveals how MI foiled SRH's plan to buy star player

A few days after the culmination of the IPL 2022 Auction, SRH's spin bowling coach Muttiah Muralitharan reveals how MI buying Ishan Kishan forced their side to spend a big amount on another star international player.

Published on: Feb 21, 2022, 07:55:21 IST

By hindustantimes.com, NEW DELHI

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The moment Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) splurged a whopping INR 10.75 crore at IPL 2022 Auction to secure the services of West Indies batter Nicholas Pooran, a lot of eyebrows and questions were raised. Pooran had a torrid IPL 2021 and yet, SRH spent big on him. A few days later, spin bowling coaching Muttiah Muralitharan has revealed why that was the case and how the decision was influenced by Ishan Kishan.

Left-hander Pooran, who is known for his big-hitting prowess, failed to make any impact while representing Punjab Kings last year. In 12 matches, he could only score 85 runs and the patch included a string of ducks. Since many expected him to go for a smaller amount, SRH's winning bid caught everyone by surprise.

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Sri Lanka legend Muralitharan, a few days after the two-day frenzy, has revealed that the Hyderabad outfit was forced to go big on Pooran after failing to snap Ishan Kishan, who was picked up by Mumbai Indians for a record INR 15.25 crore.

"We initially wanted to buy Kishan. But once his bid crossed our budget, we were forced to look for alternatives. Yes, [Jonny] Bairstow was available, but we had doubts on whether he would be available for the entire season. We wanted an international wicketkeeper who would be available for all the games, so we thought Pooran was the right choice once Kishan slipped away,” Muralitharan told Sportskeeda in an interview.

When asked about Pooran's form, Muralitharan said they are optimistic about his returns.

“We believe that he’ll do well for us. And the fact that he was sold for such a high price proves that many other franchises desperately wanted him in their squads. Surely, we’re not the only ones,” he added.

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