Hyderabad: One ’keeper’s loss was another’s gain. As Australian Brad Haddin’s injury halted his Indian Premier League (IPL) journey, luck smiled on a South African, Mark Boucher, who was earlier ignored by the franchises at the IPL auctions.

For Boucher, playing in IPL-IV for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is like a window of relief.

Terming the IPL call-up as a “surprise”, the wicketkeeper-batsman said that he was happy to begin his IPL journey on a winning note as the Knights defeated the Deccan Chargers by 20 runs, on Tuesday.

“Well, the IPL call-up was a big surprise… Haddin got injured and that gave me an opportunity. But that’s very tough for a player, getting injured midway into the meet. However, it has been a good outing for me today,” Boucher said.

That he was desperate to be back in action was evident when he said: “I missed the World Cup and the first part of the IPL-IV as well… It’s good be back.”