3 KKR players in IPL 2025 who were earlier in PBKS ft. Varun Chakaravarthy

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are set to lock horns with Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Match 31 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh. When both sides clashed last year, it was a run feast, as PBKS completed the highest-ever T20 chase of 262.

Ahead of his clash, KKR are positioned fifth in the points table with three victories in six games. In their last outing, they secured their second-biggest win (in terms of balls to spare), as they chased down 104 in just 10.1 overs against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Meanwhile, PBKS have fared well, tasting victories on three out of five occasions. Unfortunately, the Kings are on a two-game losing skid, with their latest defeat coming against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), which saw them failing to defend 245.

Before both teams lock horns in an exciting contest, let's take a look at a few KKR players who have been part of PBKS in the past.

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#1 Varun Chakaravarthy

Varun Chakaravarthy made his domestic debut for Tamil Nadu in the 2018-19 edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT). He proved his merit straightaway, emerging as the second-highest wicket-taker with 22 wickets in nine games.

As a result, Chakaravarthy emerged as the most expensive player in the IPL 2019 auction. The Punjab Kings shelled out INR 8.4 crore to secure the services of the right-arm spinner.

In his only game that season against KKR, Chakaravarthy finished with figures of 1/35 off three overs. Interestingly, he conceded 25 runs off his first over, which is the most conceded by a bowler on debut.

After he was released by PBKS, Chakaravarthy found a new home with KKR in 2020. In the last season, he scalped 21 wickets to help the franchise lift their third IPL title.

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#2 Vaibhav Arora

Speedster Vaibhav Arora was first bought by the Knight Riders in the IPL 2021 auction. However, he didn't play a single game and was released from the squad.

Nevertheless, KKR engaged in a bidding war with PBKS in the IPL 2022 mega auction, resulting in the latter spending INR 2 crore to rope him in. The interest of both franchises was due to him securing 10 wickets in six games of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2020-21.

The right-arm pacer played five games for the Kings that season, picking up three wickets. The disappointing performance led to Arora getting released from the squad.

KKR again expressed an interest in Arora, and managed to grab him for INR 60 lakh in the IPL 2023 auction. Since then, he has bagged 23 wickets in 20 games for the franchise.

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#3 Rinku Singh

Rinku Singh made his domestic debut for Uttar Pradesh in 2014. He was picked by Punjab Kings in the IPL 2017 auction for his base price of INR 10 lakh.

However, Rinku did not appear in any of the games for the franchise that season and was released. The left-hander impressed with his ball-striking abilities in the 2017-18 edition of SMAT, slamming 186 runs at a strike rate of 146.45. He also did well by scoring 146 runs at an average of 36.50 in the same edition of VHT.

Thanks to his consistent performances, the Knight Riders purchased Rinku for INR 80 lakh in the IPL 2018 auction. Since then, he has been part of the franchise and produced his best-ever season in 2023, smashing 474 runs. He was also one of the six players retained by KKR for the IPL 2025 ahead of the mega-auction.