The Kolkata Knight Riders are one of the most talked-about teams in the Indian Premier League. But over the last few years, the Knights could not satisfy their fans with their performance. Even big names like André Russell and Shreyas Iyer could not do much for the Knights.
Though the team had good results under Captain Morgan, it still could not emerge victorious. The management dropped all players before the mega auction but could not produce something special in the audition, picking only players like Cummins, Billings, Shreyas Iyer, and Alex Hales, later replaced by Aaron Finch.
With disappointing performances from players like Venky Iyer, Cummins, and Rana, KKR could not do much in the race for the title last year. Now that the young captain is leading from the front, KKR will be looking forward to giving their fans something to cheer about in the forthcoming IPL. But for better results, the KKR management needs to consolidate its lineup.
KKR were the most active team in the trades as they traded in Shardul Thakur from the Delhi Capitals and Lockie Ferguson alongside Afghan wicketkeeper-batsman Rahmanullah Gurabz from the Gujarat Titans for young pacer Shivam Mavi. Due to the absence of Australian skipper Pat Cummins and English wk-bat Sam Billings, these additions were made.
When it comes to KKR’s remaining funds, they don’t have much to work with, with only 7.05 crores in their bank.
With nothing to look at, let’s take a quick look at the players that KKR could have on their team.
1. Chris Lynn
Lynn was the most destructive opener to feature for the Knights after Brendon McCollum himself, and now that he’s been released, KKR can take advantage of the opportunity. The muscular Australian opener, on the other hand, would not be a standard buy, costing at least 3-4 crores.
2. Manish Pandey
The Indian middle-order batsman has had his dream run playing for the Knights, and even the Knights would look to have him back as they are in search of a middle-order batsman. To include him on the side, they might pay him a regulation price equal to his base price of Rs 1 crore.
3. Murugan Ashwin
With not many bucks left and still many more to be picked, KKR management may have their eyes on Murugan Ashwin, a smart spinner at a low cost. With Varun Chakravarthy not doing great in the last edition, Ashwin can be a good option alongside Sunil Narine. They can bid 40–50 lakhs for the spinner from South India.
With many more players to pick from and hardly 2–3 crores left, KKR would look for low-profile players like Tymal Mills, Carlos Braithwaite, Shreyas Gopal, Shashank Singh, and Ishan Porel to add to their squad.
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