Kolkata Knight Riders' 1st-ever player sold at an IPL auction and it is NOT Sourav Ganguly

The IPL 2020 is all set to commence in the UAE from September 19 and will go on till November 10. The 13th edition of the tournament was originally slated to start on March 29, however, the cash-rich league was indefinitely postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. With the IPL 2020 soon approaching, the franchises are leaving no stone unturned to prepare themselves for the tournament.

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Shoaib Akhtar was Kolkata Knight Riders' first pick in IPL 2008

Kolkata Knight Riders are one such franchise who will look to lay their hands on their third IPL title. The Kolkata-based franchise has been one of the best teams in the tournament, having won the title in 2012 and 2014. However, the Kolkata Knight Riders' performance in the first three years of the tournament was dismal, to say the least. 

Kolkata Knight Riders spent big money in the inaugural edition of the IPL and secured the services of some of the best players in the world. The player that we generally associate Kolkata Knight Riders with is former India captain Sourav Ganguly. However, it is not a known fact that Sourav Ganguly wasn't the first player that KKR bought at the IPL auction. In fact, Ganguly wasn't even named in the auction since he was selected not only as Kolkata's captain but also as its 'icon player' back then.

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Rather, it was former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar who was the first player to be bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders. Overall, he was the fourth player whose name was raised, after Shane Warne, MS Dhoni and Adam Gilchrist. Akhtar was valued at USD$425,000, which amounted to ₹1.7 crore back then.

However, the move turned out to be a disaster as he only played three matches for Kolkata Knight Riders, where he bagged 5 wickets at an economy rate of 7.71. Shoaib Akhtar could never play in the IPL again because of the unstable political relations between India and Pakistan, due to which the Pakistani players were banned from playing in the league.

On the other hand, Sourav Ganguly was paid a whopping USD $1,093,000 (₹4.37 crore as of 2008) per season. According to the tournament's first set of rules (although abolished now), the team's icon player was a status given to five players of the IPL to ensure that top draw players will represent their respective home city sides, which was important for the league to increase fan support and interest among the locals. The BCCI President went on to represent Kolkata Knight Riders for three years, But, he couldn't produce the desired results, which is why he was released by them and replaced by Gautam Gambhir in 2011.

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What is the Shoaib Akhtar net worth?

Shoaib Akhtar is one of the richest cricket players in the world and has a net worth that stands at an estimated $23 million or ₹163 crore, as reported by The Net Worth Portal. Hіѕ іnсrеаѕеd nеt еаrnіngs саn bе ассоuntеd tо vаrіоuѕ fасtоrѕ lіkе hіѕ аѕѕосіаtіоn wіth multіtudе brаndѕ, commentary stints and YouTube channel, where he has more than 1.91 million subscribers. Shoaib Akhtar оwnѕ ѕtуlіѕh bіkеs such as Duсаtі Rеd Неаvу Віkе and Hоndа СВR Fіrеblаdе. Араrt frоm thіѕ, Akhtar net worth also includes his luхurіоuѕ саrѕ lіkе Whіtе Раrаdо, Ноndа Сіvіс, Тоуоtа Lаnd Сruіѕеr Рrаdо, Меrсеdеѕ Веnz аnd Ѕіlvеr Тurf. Не оwnѕ а ѕрlеndіd mаnѕіоn іn Іѕlаmаbаd whісh hаѕ аll top fасіlіtіеѕ. 

Disclaimer: The above Shoaib Akhtar net worth salary information is sourced from various websites and media reports. The website does not guarantee 100% accuracy of the Shoaib Akhtar net worth salary figures.  

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IMAGE COURTESY: SOURAV GANGULY TWITTER