New Delhi, India
Shoaib Akhtar remains a big name in world cricket. The Rawalpindi Express was known for his ferocious pace and ended his stellar international career with 444 wickets overall, apart from battling several injuries and controversies.
Akhtar was among the Pakistani players who took part in the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008. Akhtar was part of the Sourav Ganguly-led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise but hardly played a lot of games. The former pacer ended the season with only three games, accounting for a total of five scalps. He, however, contributed with a Player-of-the-Match performance in KKR's thrilling win over Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata (where he returned with 4 for 11 in Kolkata's defence of 134). It was also his maiden outing for the franchise.
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During his maiden IPL game, Akhtar went all-out in celebrating one of his scalps and recalled how he took former KKR opener, Aakash Chopra, by surprise.
"I remember in that (KKR vs DD) game I was charged up after taking a wicket and had grabbed Aakash Chopra by the collar to pull him closer. He then requested that I be careful not to break his ribs while doing that. After that, I also jumped on Salman Butt while celebrating."
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Since the IPL 2008 edition, no Pakistani player has featured in the tournament in the following seasons. At present, Akhtar remains vocal on various aspects of the gentlemen's game whereas KKR have got off to a winning start in IPL 2022, beating defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with ease in the season-opener on March 26.