Over the years, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has proven to be a spectacular avenue. From a strictly financial standpoint, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were among the most successful franchises in the inaugural season.
The amount of revenue generated by the competition has skyrocketed over time. In addition to the cricketing action, it provides a revenue stream for a number of individuals, including journalists, broadcasters, and even pundits.
The Knight Riders defeated the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 140 runs in the inaugural match of the competition, which was one for the books. Fans will always remember Brendon McCullum’s famous unbeaten 158 runs off 73 deliveries.
However, KKR was unable to make the most of their blistering start and did not make it to the inaugural season’s semifinals. However, the first batch was special because it included both established players and upcoming stars.
Several of those players have gone on to have legendary careers, some have gone into coaching, and a small number have even managed to become cricket pundits, speaking about the state of the sport online, particularly on YouTube.
In light of this, let’s take a look at three KKR IPL 2008 players who are now YouTubers.
Aakash Chopra
The former opening batter for India was a member of the KKR team in 2008 and even played for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the 2011 Indian Premier League. Aakash Chopra quickly moved into broadcasting after he quit playing in 2015 and became one of the industry’s most well-known figures.
He eventually launched his YouTube channel, which has since received more than a billion views. His channel has 3.85 million subscribers, making him one of the community’s most admired figures.
Shoaib Akhtar
During the inaugural IPL season, the former Pakistan express pace bowler had a brief but long-lasting impact. Shoaib Akhtar only played three games, one of which was a memorable 4-11 victory over the Delhi Daredevils (now the Delhi Capitals).
In 2011, he retired from a career marred by injuries and launched his YouTube channel. To date, The Rawalpindi Express has received 339 million views and has 3.44 million subscribers.
The speedster is well-known for his blunt and sincere remarks, most of which are directed at Indian and Pakistani players and focus on how they perform and approach the game. His remarks frequently make headlines and raise eyebrows among viewers.
Salman Butt
The former Pakistan captain last played for his country in 2010, when he was a member of the KKR IPL 2008 squad. Salman Butt scored 193 runs at a strike rate of 119.88 in seven games for the team.
After his playing days reached an unexpected conclusion because of his association in the spot-fixing embarrassment alongside Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, the initial hitter needed to track down different means to stay with cricket.
He has completed PCB’s umpiring and match referee phase 1 course and worked as a consultant for the Singapore cricket team in addition to his brief stint in domestic cricket.