Indian wicketkeeper with 5 Tests to play for amateur sports club in London after IPL 2025 snub

Indian wicketkeeper-batter KS Bharat will ply his trade for a London-based cricket club after getting ignored at the IPL 2025 auction in November last year. The 31-year-old is set to play for Dulwich Cricket Club in the 2025 Surrey Championship campaign.

Bharat has played for several IPL franchises, including the Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals, the Gujarat Titans, and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He, however, didn’t get a bid at the mega auction last year. His base price was INR 75 lakh.

The Andhra Pradesh batter played seven Tests for India during regular wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant’s absence from international cricket. The right-hander, though, failed to make the most of his opportunities, scoring just 221 runs in seven Tests (12 innings) at an average of 20.09, with his best score being 44. His last appearance came against England in February 2024.

‘CricX - The Cricket Exchange Agency’ shared the news on Instagram on Friday and wrote:

“Congratulations to KS Bharat on signing with @dulwichcc for the 2025 @surreychamp campaign. The keeper & top-order batter has played 7 Tests for India, including against England in 2024 and Australia in the World Test Championship final in 2023. He has featured in multiple IPL franchises, including Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Delhi Capitals, as well as captaining his state side in first-class cricket in India.”

“Fresh off their promotion to the Premier Division, Dulwich will be looking to KS Bharat to make an immediate impact on the field. Beyond his performances, the club will benefit immensely from his priceless knowledge and experience, which will undoubtedly inspire players across the whole Club. The biggest signing of the winter? We think it’s right up there!” they added.

KS Bharat continues to impress in domestic cricket despite IPL and international setback

KS Bharat has continued to shine in domestic cricket despite losing his place in Test cricket and the Indian T20 extravaganza. The Andhra-batter smashed an unbeaten 107 against Meghalaya in the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy. He also scored 86 and 64 against Services and Rajasthan, respectively. His last appearance came in the Ranji Trophy, where he returned with scores of 52 and 43 against Rajasthan.

In his first-class career, Bharat has 5686 runs in 105 matches with the help of 10 tons and 32 half-centuries. He has also amassed 2502 and 1573 in 76 List-A games and 81 T20s, respectively.