Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have roped in Madhya Pradesh mystery spinner Shivam Shukla for the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2025. He replaced West Indies batter Rovman Powell, who didn’t return to India after the tournament resumed on May 17.

Shukla will be with the Knights for only a solitary match this season as the defending champions have already been knocked out of the competition. The Knight Riders became the fourth team to be eliminated after Saturday’s match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

The 29-year-old Shukla made his T20 debut for MP in the 2024 edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy. In eight matches, he picked up as many wickets at an economy rate of 6.30. He notched his best figures of 4-0-29-4 against Bengal at the Niranjan Shah Stadium C in Rajkot.

The Knights are currently placed sixth in the table with 12 points and a net run rate of +0.193 thanks to wins in five out of 13 games. Their last and final game is against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Sunday, May 25 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

KKR began with a defeat to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and from there on, they couldn’t gain much momentum. They won back-to-back matches against Delhi Capitals (DC) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), but the two-wicket defeat to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) put them on the brink of elimination.

After Saturday’s match was called off, KKR became the fourth team after Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to be knocked out. Ajinkya Rahane’s men will now look to play for pride against the Sunrisers and end their campaign on a winning note.