Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fast bowler Umran Malik has gone through a tough phase over the last few years. He lost his place in the Indian team and also faced multiple injuries that slowed down his progress.
Even though KKR picked him last season, he could not play a single match because of an injury. But ahead of the IPL 2026 season, the franchise has shown trust in him and decided to retain him. Now, the speedster is slowly working his way back.
While speaking to ESPNcricinfo in Kolkata during Jammu and Kashmir’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) match, Malik said something very simple that every fast bowler knows that injuries will happen at some point, but he cannot change the way he bowls. For him, speed remains the biggest part of his skillset and he wants to protect that.
“Every fast bowler in the world knows that injuries are going to be a part of his career. But speed is my natural aspect. How can I compromise with that? Speed is my biggest strength, and I want to continue to maintain that strength, ” Umran Malik said.
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Malik also shared his thoughts about the IPL. He said that for most Indian fast bowlers, playing in the league is not very difficult, and it might be the same for him as well. But his focus is not only on participating. He made it clear that money is not what drives him.
“I know that for many Indian fast bowlers, it is not that difficult to be part the IPL. It’s probably easy for me too, but I’m not just thinking of taking part in the tournament. Money is not a concern. The first and last thing is that my fitness and form should be such that I play every match for the team and take wickets. If I can’t do this, then what will be my value as a player?,” he added.
Umran Malik burst onto the scene in IPL 2022 when he bowled a 156.9kph delivery, one of the fastest ever recorded by an Indian. His impressive rise earned him both T20I and ODI debuts for India. However, repeated injuries have slowed down his journey.
So far, he has taken 13 wickets in 10 ODIs and 11 wickets in eight T20Is. In the IPL, all his wickets came for Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he picked up 29 wickets, including one five wicket haul and one four wicket haul.
At the moment, Umran Malik is playing for Jammu and Kashmir in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He has taken six wickets in five matches in the ongoing tournament. He returned to domestic cricket in October when he played a Ranji Trophy match against Rajasthan. That game was his first competitive appearance since IPL 2024.
Even though KKR released several players, including some big names, the franchise decided to retain Malik for IPL 2026. Their trust in him is a big confidence boost as he works toward not just returning to the IPL but aiming for bigger achievements in his cricketing career.
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