Manish Pandey was named in KKR XI for their game against SRH on May 3 (PTI Photo)Atul Yadav

SRH vs KKR: Manish Pandey gets a game in IPL 2026, joins Rohit and Virat in elite list

IPL 2026: Kolkata Knight Riders recalled Manish Pandey for the SunRisers Hyderabad match, replacing Ramandeep Singh. The appearance placed him alongside Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as players to feature in all 19 IPL seasons.

03 May 2026, 10:48 by Akshay Ramesh · India Today

In Short

Manish Pandey replaced Ramandeep Singh after KKR chose experience in Hyderabad
The 36-year-old played his first top-level competitive match since last IPL
He was bought for Rs 75 lakh but waited through lean weeks

Kolkata Knight Riders gave Manish Pandey a game against SunRisers Hyderabad on Sunday, May 3, making him only the third player after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to feature in at least one match in each of the 19 Indian Premier League seasons. The 36-year-old replaced Ramandeep Singh in the KKR XI for their ninth game of the season after being bought for Rs 75 lakh at the auction and spending the early part of the campaign on the bench, even through the side's lean spell.

SRH vs KKR: Scorecard | Updates

Pandey was picked ahead of younger options such as Tejasvi Dahiya and Sarthak Ranjan, with captain Ajinkya Rahane opting for experience after Ramandeep's struggles for form. It was Pandey's first competitive match at the highest level since last year's IPL. The batter, who remains among the fittest players around, was not picked by Karnataka for the 2025-26 domestic season.

PLAYERS IN ALL 19 SEASONS OF IPL

1. Virat Kohli

2. Rohit Sharma

3. Manish Pandey

44-year-old MS Dhoni will join that list if he features for Chennai Super Kings this season, but a calf injury has kept the former captain out of competitive action so far.

Pandey made his IPL debut for Mumbai Indians in 2008 before moving to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, where he became the league's first Indian centurion in 2009. He then joined the now-defunct Pune Warriors India in 2010 and spent four seasons there. His best season came with KKR in 2014, when he played a key role in their second title triumph under Gautam Gambhir's captaincy. He scored 400 runs in an IPL season for the first time that year.

He spent four seasons at KKR before moving to SunRisers Hyderabad in 2018. Pandey then played for Lucknow Super Giants in 2022 and Delhi Capitals in 2023 before returning to KKR in 2024. He played only one game in KKR's victorious season and three for the franchise last year.

KKR, who came into the game on a two-match winning streak, also brought back Finn Allen, giving the New Zealand opener another chance after a string of failures at the start of the season.

SunRisers Hyderabad were without all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was rested because of illness. They brought back Harshal Patel and handed an opportunity to Karnataka's in-form Smaran Ravichandran. Pandey's recall, though, was the main selection call, as it placed him alongside Kohli and Rohit in a small part of IPL history.

- Ends