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Arafat joins Kolkata Knight Riders

Pakistan allrounder Yasir Arafat has signed up with Kolkata Knight Riders for the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL)

Cricinfo staff
03-Aug-2008

Yasir Arafat becomes the fifth Pakistan player to sign for the Kolkata Knight Riders © AFP
 
Pakistan allrounder Yasir Arafat has signed up with Kolkata Knight Riders for the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to be held in April 2009.
Arafat, who currently plays county cricket for Kent, confirmed that he was approached by the Kolkata team and had accepted the offer after getting a clearance from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). "They [Kolkata Knight Riders] approached me and I was keen to join because it was owned by Shah Rukh Khan," he told PTI. "The team has many exciting players in it."
He was part of the Kent team which narrowly lost to Middlesex in the Twenty20 Cup final recently and was awarded a central contract for the first time in 2007 after his impressive stint with the club. While he has played only four international Twenty20 matches, he has plenty of domestic experience in the format with the Rawalpindi Rams, Sussex and Kent.
He becomes the fifth Pakistan player to sign with Kolkata, joining his compatriots Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Salman Butt and Mohammad Hafeez.