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

Punjab Kings (PBKS) will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 23rd match of the IPL 2024. The match is set to take place at the PCA Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. In the new stadium, only one match has happened in the IPL 2024 so far. PBKS won the match against DC by 6 wickets earlier this season. Both SRH and PBKS would be aiming to win the 23rd match of the league, which would help them to get a confidence booster.

Both the teams won their last match, respectively. SRH overcame CSK by a margin of 6 wickets. On the other hand, PBKS handed a 3-wicket loss to GT in their own backyard. In the process, the Punjab-based franchise became the team with the most number of 200+ run-chases in the history of the league. For the first time in the IPL 2024, PBKS will be up against SRH.

The seventeenth edition of the league has been even-stevens for both the sides so far, as they've won two and lost two of the four played, respectively. While SRH are placed fifth, PBKS stand 6th on the points table. Over the years, the two teams have produced some of the best players in the league. While some of them are still playing for the same team, others have had the opportunity to represent multiple teams currently. There are some players who have played for both SRH and PBKS.

Here are three active players who have played for both SRH and PBKS in the IPL -

1. Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan is the current skipper of PBKS. The star player has been with PBKS since 2022. The star batter has played 29 games for the 2014 finalists and scored 971 runs so far at a batting average of 38.84, at a batting strike rate of 131.04, including seven fifty-plus scores to his name. He will be one of the fewest players to have scored over 1000 runs for PBKS. For SRH, Dhawan played a lot. He was a part of SRH from 2013 to 2019.

In the period, the Southpaw played 85 matches and scored 2518 runs at a batting average of 34.49, at a batting strike rate of 124.28 including 19 fifty-plus scores. In the IPL 2016, Dhawan scored 501 runs and became instrumental in SRH winning the title. He is the second-highest run scorer for SRH in the history of the league. Along with David Warner, the Indian opener formed a great opening partnership and won a lot of matches.

2. Jonny Bairstow

Jonny Bairstow is currently playing for PBKS. He joined the franchise in 2022 edition. While he opted out of IPL 2023, the right-handed batter has been available for them in 2024. In 15 matches for the side, the English batter has scored 334 runs at a batting average of 22.27 and a batting strike rate of 147.79, including two fifties. His record for PBKS is decent, but it was better while he played for SRH. The opening batter played for SRH for three seasons from 2019 to 2021.

In 2019, he was brilliant where he scored 445 runs at a batting average of 55.63, at a batting strike rate of 157.24, including a hundred and 2 fifties. Representing the Orange Army, the England international played 28 matches and scored 1038 runs at a batting average of 41.52, at a batting SR of 142.19, including a hundred and 7 fifties. The stumper-batter is one of the fewest batters to have an average in excess of 30 and a strike rate of over 140 for both PBKS and SRH.

3. KL Rahul

KL Rahul might be a surprising name on the list. Because not many know that he spent some of his younger years playing for SRH. 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 performances 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.