Five Kolkata Knight Riders Players May Target IPL Auction 2024 » Today Latest Stories

After fielding 12 players in the extended season, former Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will enter the IPL Auction 2024 to be held on December 19 in Dubai with a purse of Rs 32.7 crore. and with the aim of creating a well-coordinated team that includes campaigners with emerging skills.

As they embark on a quest to lift their third IPL Trophy, KKR’s marketing strategy will focus on assembling a team that can handle various aspects of the match, including reliable batsmen, strong bowlers and all-rounders.

Let’s take a look at the list of players who were not retained and released before the trade:

• Retained Players: Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Shreyas Iyer, Jason Roy, Sunil Narine, Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy.

• Released Players: Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, Aarya Desai, David Wiese, Narayan Jagadeesan, Mandeep Singh, Kulwant Khejroliya, Shardul Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Charles Johnson

After releasing the likes of Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur, the Knight Riders would want to find pacers who can fill the gaps and create a formidable attack. With enough opportunities overseas, they can go at least two foreign pacers.

Playing a key role in KKR in 2022, the Australian Test and ODI skipper is one of the most sought-after players in the game. Along with his devastating change and pace, the 30-year-old also brings a wealth of experience, familiarity with the team and a talented captain to the table.

Cummins has participated in six previous IPL seasons, scoring 379 runs and taking 45 wickets in 42 matches. After being bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for a staggering 15.50 crores, he was the most expensive player in the 2020 Indian Premier League market. His last season in the tournament was in 2022, when he took seven wickets and scored 63 runs in five matches.

Coming off the back of ODI World Cup glory where he took 20 wickets, including a three-wicket haul in the final against India, Australian pacer Mitchell Starc is another asset KKR are looking to invest in. fast bowling options and provide them with a reliable bowling option. Starc can be a game changer for KKR at crucial times because of his ability to perform under pressure.

Starc also has a proven IPL record – playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2014, the left-armer quickly emerged as one of the tournament’s top scorers with 20 scalps and the tournament would be delighted with the pacer’s comeback.

South African pacer Gerald Coetzee is another killer that KKR would like to sign. Coetzee can buy KKR because of his aggression and tendency to pick up wickets at crucial moments of the game.

In his maiden appearance in the tournament, Coetzee became the first player from the rainbow nation to take 20 wickets in a single edition of the World Cup.

The 23-year-old took 23 wickets in the SA20, and came out third in the wicket-taker. Additionally, the pacer took three wickets against India in a T20I match on December 12.

Azmatullah Omarzai, the 23-year-old from Afghanistan, could also be on KKR’s radar in the market. Omarzai is a reliable batsman who is aggressive and easy to play. His versatility makes him a valuable addition, as evidenced by his performances in the shortest form of the game – in 24 T20Is so far, the 23-year-old has scored 185 runs and taken 11 wickets.

The young Afghan is not only a tough to spell bowler but also capable of setting the middle order. Therefore, he will be a good choice and replacement for the injured Russel.

Harshal Patel, who is in the trade pool after being released by Royal Challengers Bangalore, will be a good option as he has a habit of keeping the batsmen on their toes with scalp wickets in the death overs – an area where KKR have fought to the death. the season is over. In addition, the gentler climbs at Eden Gardens may be good for its slower climbers.

Apart from this, Patel has the most IPL experience with 111 wickets in 92 matches to his name. In 2021, the 33-year-old picked up the Purple Cap that season after taking 32 wickets in 15 matches and added 19 wickets in 2022.