Srikar Bharat IPL Profile

Kona Srikar Bharat, renowned as KS Bharat, is an Indian cricketer, who plays as a wicket-keeper batsman for Andhra Pradesh in domestic cricket. Bharat was born on October 3, 1993, in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. He is a right-handed batter renowned for his temperament and agility behind the stumps. 

Bharat showed quick progress at the domestic level, both as a keeper and a batter. He made his first-class debut at the age of 19 for Andhra in 2012-13 against Kerala. Meanwhile, he made his List-A debut for Andhra on February 2012 against Tamil Nadu. 

However, Bharat came into the limelight in 2015 after he set a record in the Ranji Trophy as he became the first wicket-keeper batsman to score a triple hundred in the event. In that season (2014-15), Bharat amassed a staggering 758 runs in nine matches.

Bharat has achieved several feats in domestic cricket, which led him to be a part of IPL 2015. He was signed by the then-IPL franchise Delhi Daredevils in 2015 for an amount of 10 lakhs. However, he did not get a chance to play any matches in his maiden season and was released ahead of the next season. 

His debut came in 2021 after the wicket-keeper batsman was bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He became a crucial member of the team in the season after making his debut against his former side and now-rechristened Delhi Capitals. Late in the return leg against the same side, Bharat memorably hit a last-ball six to win the game while scoring his IPL highest score of 78*. 

Bharat was released ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction, where he was bought by Gujarat Titans. The keeper, however, played just two games across two seasons for the side with Wriddhiman Saha preferred as the first choice. 

His maiden international call-up came in 2019 as Bharat was named to India's Test team in November 2019 for the second Test against Bangladesh as a replacement for Wriddhiman Saha. Considered a Test specialist, Bharat was also included in the Indian squad for the ODI series against Australia in January 2020 after Rishabh Pant got a concussion. Bharat's debut came against Australia in February 2023 in the Border-Gavaskar series as he played the entire series as Pant was out following a car crash.