Kona Srikar-Bharat

Kona Srikar Bharat, popularly known as KS Bharat is an Indian Cricketer born on 3rd October 1993 in the city of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. He is a right-handed batsman known for his temperament and wicket-keeping abilities.

Career

Domestic Career

KS Bharat made his List-A debut for Andhra on February 20, 2012. The wicketkeeper-batsman received his maiden domestic cap at the senior level against Tamil Nadu at Bengaluru. He opened the innings for the team but departed to the pavilion after scoring only a solitary run. 

He surprised everyone by playing some aggressive shots on his first-class debut. In the second innings of his debut match against Kerala, Bharat smashed four fours and three sixes in his 28-ball 37. However, he has worked on his batting skills now and has aggregated 4,283 first-class runs at a strike rate of 59.54. 

Bharat played his first domestic T20 match against Tamil Nadu at Bhadravati on March 17, 2013. He lost his stumps after a 21-ball 15. Currently, Bharat has an aggregate of 730 runs in 44 T20 innings. His strike rate is less than 110, but his glovework is better than many domestic keepers. 

The 27-year-old has taken 270 catches and executed 31 stumpings in his first-class career. Meanwhile, he has taken a total 90 catches in the other two formats. 

Bharat’s T20 numbers do not reflect his true batting abilities. His batting strike rate is 106.10, while his batting average is 17.80 in the game’s shortest format. However, recently in the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Bharat smashed a 34-ball 62 against Puducherry at the Wankhede Stadium. 

If he gets going in the middle, it is challenging for the bowlers to stop him from scoring big. 

IPL Career

KS Bharat earned his maiden IPL deal from the Delhi Daredevils back in 2015. He received a deal worth INR 10 lakh then. However, he never got a chance to play in IPL. The Royal Challengers Bangalore Team secured his services for INR 20 lakh at the recent auction. It will be interesting to see if he receives his maiden IPL cap this year in IPL 2021. 

Background

Hailing from Visakhapatnam, Srikar Bharat came into the spotlight after scoring 758 runs for Andhra in the 2014/15 Ranji Trophy. Bharat’s skills have impressed the selectors and helped him earn a place in the Indian squad on multiple occasions. However, he is yet to get his first international cap. 

Bharat holds the record for being the first wicket-keeper to slam a triple ton in Ranji Trophy history. He has worked hard on his batting skills and will be keen to showcase his talent in IPL 2021.