‘We are ready’ – Mohammad Kaif jokes about being available for IPL 2022, KKR responds

Mohammad Kaif and Yusuf Pathan. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has jokingly stated that he and Yusuf Pathan are available to play the upcoming season of the IPL. Both players are featuring for the Indian Maharajas in the ongoing inaugural edition of Legends League Cricket (LLC). Pathan scored 80 runs of just 40 balls while Kaif amassed an unbeaten 42. Both the batters stitched a partnership of 117 for the fourth wicket after the team were tottering at 34/3 at one stage.

Batting first, Asia Lions posted a total of 175/7, thanks to Upul Tharanga (66) and Misbah-ul-Haq (44*). For India, Manpreet Gony took three wickets while Irfan Pathan scalped a couple and Munaf Patel and Stuart Binny took one each. In reply, the Mohammad Kaif-led side had a poor start as they lost the wickets of Stuart Binny (10), Naman Ojha (20) and S. Badrinath (0) cheaply.

The fourth wicket partnership between Kaif and Yusuf made sure team went over the line with five balls to spare. Irfan played a cameo of unbeaten 21 in 10 deliveries. Both the teams will face each other in the return fixture on January 24.

After the win, Kaif posted a picture of him alongside Yusuf with a caption saying that both the players are ready to play the IPL. “IPL teams we are ready. DM before auction. Ek pe ek free wala option bhi hai …,” Kaif tweeted.

Kolkata Knight Riders reply to Kaif’s tweet with a meme

The 2012 and 2014 winners Kolkata Knight Riders were quick to come up with a funny response. They posted a GIF video which read “Bhai Wah” with a caption, “Offer toh zabardast hai! #IPLAuction.”

Here’s the thread of the convo:

👀 Offer toh zabardast hai! #IPLAuction pic.twitter.com/z3ujZBwrf3

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) January 21, 2022

Both the players have previously played for different teams in the IPL. Kaif has played for Rajasthan Royals in 2008 and 2009. In 2010, he moved to Kings XI Punjab (Now Punjab Kings). Next year, he was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore and played for the side till the 2013 season. He has worked as an assistant coach to Brad Hodge in the now defunct Gujarat Lions in the 2017 season. He also worked as an assistant coach for Delhi Capitals in 2019 and 2020.

On the other hand, Yusuf Pathan also played alongside Kaif in the Royals set-up. They were part of the inaugural champions side in 2008. In 2011, he moved to Kolkata Knight Riders and kept playing till 2017. In 2018, he was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad and played for the team till 2019. In February last year, he announced his retirement from all forms of the game. 

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