IPL: 3 active players to play for both SRH and RCB in league history

KL Rahul. (Source – IPL/BCCI)

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will be taking on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 30th match of the ongoing IPL 2024 (Indian Premier League). Both teams share a good rivalry in the league. Notably, SRH have caused upsets to RCB, probably more than any team in the league. In the 2016 final, the Hyderbad-based franchise beat Bengaluru in the final by 8 runs. In the IPL 2019, the Orange Army franchise pipped the Bengaluru-based franchise by just a point to make it to the playoffs. In the IPL 2020, SRH beat RCB in the Eliminator to proceed further in the league.

In the IPL 2021, SRH cost RCB a top-2 finish by beating them in Abu Dhabi. In the IPL 2022, SRH dismissed RCB to their second-lowest total of 68 runs in the history of the league. The 2016 runner-ups would be hoping to turn things around this time by putting up a good performance. RCB is currently in turmoil having lost 4 of their 5 games. Over the years, there have been some great players who have played for both RCB and SRH. Some of them are established and others are emerging.

Here are 3 such players who have played for both SRH and RCB in the IPL history:

3. KL Rahul

KL Rahul. (Source -LSG)

KL Rahul might be an unexpected name on the list. The prime reason is that not many know that he played for both Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad franchises before joining PBKS. The Karnataka-born started his IPL career with RCB in 2013 and was picked by SRH in 2014 and 2015 before returning to RCB in 2016. For SRH, Rahul was not that good. In 16 innings for Hyderabad, the star batter scored 308 runs at a batting average of 23.69, at a batting strike rate of just 106.21, with 34 being his best score to his name. Rahul’s best performance as a batter came for PBKS. 

The star batter played 55 matches for the 2014 finalists and scored ,2548 runs at a batting average of 56.62, at a batting strike rate of 139.77 including two hundreds. The right-handed batter is the leading run-scorer for PBKS. He has the most hundreds, fifties, and boundaries while playing for the side. His 132* is the best score for a batter from PBKS in the history of the league. Rahul scored 50 runs in 15 balls, which is the joint second-fastest fifty in the history of the IPL.

2. Jaydev Unadkat

Jaydev Unadkat. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)

Jaydev Unadkat played a couple of seasons for RCB. The left-arm pacer was decent for the South Indian franchise in the limited number of opportunities he got. The Saurashtra skipper played 13 matches for RCB and claimed 13 wickets at a bowling average of 28.54 and a bowling strike rate of 22.62 with an economy rate of 7.57, including a fifer. Unadkat registered his career-best spell in the IPL while playing for RCB. It came against Delhi Capitals (DC) in their own backyard.

In the IPL 2013, RCB had a forgettable season. But they had some individual brilliance throughout the season. Chris Gayle highlighted them by smashing a terrific 175 against the now-defunct Pune Warriors (PWI). Jaydev claimed 5/25 against DC and helped his side to win by four runs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. In 2024, Jaydev is currently a part of SRH in the IPL 2024. He has bowled well so far, claiming 4 wickets in 4 matches. He will be key for the success of SRH if they are to win their second title in the league. 

1. Heinrich Klaasen

Heinrich Klaasen. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)

Heinrich Klaasen has been a revelation in T20 cricket in the last couple of years. But before becoming so, he played for RCB in the 12th edition of the league. The star batter played for RCB in three matches and managed to score only 9 runs with a best score of 6. He did not get enough backing from the management which led to him being sent back to the auctions. Neither did RR make the best use of the South African as he was sent to the auction yet again for the 16th season.

Also Check: IPL Orange Cap 2024: Most Runs in IPL 2024 – CricTracker

SRH picked the right-handed batter and got the best out of him. He has been phenomenal, to say the least for SRH. In 17 matches for the 2016 champions, the South African has smacked 634 runs at a batting average of 52.83, with a sensational batting strike rate of 181.66, including a hundred and 4 fifty-plus scores. Even as a wicketkeeper, Klaasen has been brilliant, claiming some athletic catches and inflicting breathtaking stumping. He is currently one of the best T20 cricketers in the world.