India pacer Umran Malik on Tuesday made a stunning comeback to cricket, claiming two wickets during Jammu and Kashmir’s match against Odisha in the Buchi Babu tournament. Umran dismissed Odisha openers Om T Munde and Binaya K in the space of three deliveries to give his side a dream start in the fixture. On the penultimate ball of the second over, Munde tried to defend Umran’s delivery but the ball hit the inside edge of his bat before rattling the stumps.
On the first ball of the third over, Umran sent Binaya’s middle stump cartwheeling with a jaffa. Notably, this was Umran’s first appearance since March 2024 where he played for SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) against Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
Pick two wickets in 2 balls , great to see Umran Malik is back in cricket https://t.co/zw7VA8W9hN pic.twitter.com/70sLK7yUDN
— Almir (@Almir_Talks) August 26, 2025
After his release from SRH, Umran was roped in by KKR for his base price of Rs 75 lakhs. However, an injury ruled him out, making the defending champions announce Chetan Sakariya as his replacement in March before the start of the season.
Umran, who had a four-year stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), rose to fame as ‘Jammu Express’ due to his ability to hit the 150 kmph mark while bowling. In his stint with SRH from 2021-24, Umran took 29 wickets in 26 matches at an average of 26.62 and an economy rate of 9.39, with best figures of 5/25.
His peak as an IPL player was the 2022 season, where he took 22 wickets at an average of 20.18, with best figures of 5/25 and an economy rate of 9.03. He finished as his side’s top wicket-taker and overall at fourth that season.
These numbers earned him an Indian team call-up in June 2022 against Ireland. Since then, he has played 10 ODIS and eight T20IS for Men in Blue, taking 13 wickets at an average of 30.69, with best figures of 3/57 in the 50-over format. While in the shortest format, he took 11 wickets at an average of 22.09, with best figures of 3/48.
His last match in Indian colours was an ODI during July 2023 against West Indies, in which he took 0/27 in three overs. His last professional cricket match was the IPL clash for SRH against Mumbai Indians (MI) last year in March.
KKR is currently at the seventh spot in the points table with three wins and five losses, having suffered a loss to the Gujarat Titans by 39 runs in their previous game. Their next clash will be against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Saturday.
(With ANI Inputs)
