The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), defending champions from the previous IPL season of 2024, have had considerably one of the finest auctions in a long time. The Knight Riders squad went on to be one of the finest for the upcoming IPL season.
Kolkata Knight Riders retained the likes of rising star Rinku Singh for the costliest INR 13 crore. While the likes of Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Varun Chakravarthy were also retained for a fair price of INR 12 crore each.
They also included the two uncapped players, Harshit Rana and Ramandeep Singh, who were drafted in for INR 4 crores. A total cost of INR 57 crores was included for the 6 retentions made, while the remaining purse of 63 crores was consumed in the mega-auction.
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KKR Squad after the IPL mega-auction:
Batters: Rinku Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, and Ajinkya Rahane.
Wicket-keepers: Quinton De Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Luvnith Sisodia.
All-Rounders: Sunil Narine, Moeen Ali, Anukul Roy, André Russell, and Ramandeep Singh.
Bowlers: Harshit Rana, Umran Malik, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markande, Spencer Johnson, and Anrich Nortje.
KKR Playing 11:
Openers: Sunil Narine and Quinton De Kock
Considering Sunil Narine to be KKR’s most experienced player, he will once again be seen at the top of the order after their great performance last season. Narine scored 450+ runs with the bat; he also picked 17 wickets with the ball.
Alongside Narine, KKR, who included De Kock for a very timid price of INR 3.60 crore, will look to make a stir at the top of the order alongside the veteran all-rounder Narine, who might also be seen in the role of KKR skipper.
Middle-Order Batters: Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, and Rinku Singh
KKR invested heavily in their middle order, as Angkrish Raghuvanshi, a youngster, was heavily invested in, as he added immense strength to their middle order.
Venkatesh Iyer’s highly invested and most shocking KKR bid on the all-rounder batter for a whopping INR 23.75 crore will be very vital from the team’s point of view.
Rinku Singh remains in the KKR middle order, and the UP batter is currently showcasing his form in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for the state side.
All-Rounders: Andre Russell and Ramandeep Singh
Andre Russell will be playing the role of KKR’s big-hitting batsman, as he is known for his muscle power down the order and effective bowling at times. Ramandeep is a rising talent from India, recently having made his T20I debut for India.
Bowlers: Harshit Rana, Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, and Varun Chakravarthy
Harshit Rana and Anrich Nortje are the new opening bowling pair for the Knight Riders, who will share the new ball, while the likes of Vaibhav Arora from the last IPL have been included owing to his impactful presence as a third-pace bowling option alongside the likes of the two all-rounders.
Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine remain as KKR’s fixed-spin bowling duo, with the franchise not picking any other lead spinner in the role.
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