SRH vs KKR: Kolkata Knight Riders Batter Joins Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma in Elite List, Achieves Unique IPL Record Ahead of MS Dhoni

SRH vs KKR: Manish Pandey, playing his first game of the 19th season in the Indian Premier League, joined an elite list consisting of only Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma before him. The veteran batter became only the third player to play at least one game in each season of the IPL. In IPL 2026, Pandey, who is now 36-year-old will be playing his first game of the season for the three-time champions against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Notably, he became the third player to play at least one game in each season of the IPL ahead of five-time IPL-winning captain, MS Dhoni. 

Manish Pandey joins Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma in elusive record list

Manish Pandey became the third player to play at least one game in all 19 seasons of the Indian Premier League. The right-handed batter was on the bench for the Kolkata Knight Riders for the first eight games. He was almost making his debut in KKR’s previous game against LSG when they suffered a collapse and were down seven wickets. However, thanks to Rinku Singh’s exceptional knock, Pandey was not needed. Today against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the veteran batter replaced Ramandeep Singh in the playing XI.

SRH vs KKR: Manish Pandey in IPL

Manish Pandey has been one of the consistent faces in the Indian Premier League. He has played 174 games in the tournament since the inaugural season in 2008. The right-handed batter holds an impressive record, hitting the first IPL century for an Indian batter in the tournament. He achieved this feat in 2009 while playing for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. During his IPL career, Pandey has played for as many as seven teams. 

SRH vs KKR: Manish Pandey’s IPL Journey

The 36-year-old played the inaugural season with the Mumbai Indians, where he played three games in 2008. He then moved to RCB, where he played games in 2009 and 2010. Pandey, once again, moved teams and played for now-defunct Pune Warriors India in 27 games across three seasons. Pandey then joined KKR, where he had his most success. In four seasons with the Knight Riders, Manish played 55 games and won the trophy in 2014. He was also named the player of the match in the IPL 2014 final for his knock of 94 runs. He played for Sunrisers Hyderabad for four years before one-year stints with LSG and DC. Pandey then joined KKR once again in 2024 when he played only a single game in the trophy-winning campaign for the Knight Riders. He played three games in IPL 2025 before playing his match today against SRH.

IPL 2026: Has MS Dhoni played in each IPL season?

Five-time IPL-winning captain, MS Dhoni, is one of the most experienced and capped players in the history of the Indian Premier League. The wicketkeeper batter has played the most games in IPL with 278 caps to his name. However, with a calf strain, Dhoni has been sidelined from IPL 2026. The wicketkeeper batter is expected to join the Chennai Super Kings playing XI soon and could become the fourth player after Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Manish Pandey to play at least one game in each season of the IPL.

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