IPL Auction prediction: Which players can KKR target with Rs 51 crore budget?

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are the defending champions and hence, the focus will be on them in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) auction to be held in Jeddah on November 24 and 25. Shreyas Iyer led them to glory last season after beating Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the grand finale at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The Men in Gold and Purple finished on top of the table in the league stage after which they defeated the Sunrisers in Qualifier 1 followed by the final.

Gautam Gambhir returned as their mentor last season only to leave the franchise to serve as the head coach of the Indian men’s team. In the retentions, KKR retained six of their players, which meant that they would not be having any RTM at the auction.
After letting go Shreyas, the Knights also need to think about who should lead them in the upcoming season. After their retentions, the Knight Riders have a remaining purse of INR 51 crore. They have their task cut out.

KKR: List of Retained Players

Rinku Singh (Rs 13 crore), Varun Chakaravarthy (Rs 12 crore), Sunil Narine (Rs 12 crore), Andre Russell (Rs 12 crore), Harshit Rana (Rs 4 crore), Ramandeep Singh (Rs 4 crore)

KKR: List of Released Players

Nitish Rana, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Shreyas Iyer, Jason Roy, Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Venkatesh Iyer, Vaibhav Arora, KS Bharat, Chetan Sakariya, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Sherfane Rutherford, Manish Pandey, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Gus Atkinson, Sakib Hussain

KKR: Possible Combination

Sunil Narine
Overseas wicketkeeper
Indian batter
Indian batter
Indian batter
Indian all-rounder
Andre Russell
Varun Chakravarthy
Overseas fast bowler
Indian spinner
Harshit Rana

Here’s an analysis of who KKR can bid for in the auction to fill the void that has been created after releasing some of their key players.

Narine’s opening partner

After KKR released Phil Salt, they need to find an appropriate batter who could open the batting with Sunil Narine. Given the English batter’s form in the series against the West Indies, Salt might fetch big bucks, which could make a big hole in KKR’s pocket.

If KKR cannot afford Salt, they can go for Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who has experience of playing in the IPL. The Knights can also look to bring back Tom Banton in their setup. If they are to go for an Indian wicketkeeper, they have Mohammad Azharuddeen, Ishan Kishan or Jitesh Sharma.

In case they are looking for a specialist batter as a backup, they can go for Afghanistan’s Sediqullah Atal, who once hit seven sixes in an over in a T20 match. Atal was also the top run-getter in the Men’s Emerging Asia Cup in Muscat, Oman.

Need for a potent pacer

From Shoaib Akhtar, Shane Bond, Brett Lee, Trent Boult, Morne Morkel and Mitchell Starc, the Knight Riders have always had a genuine fast bowler in their ranks. Last year, they went all-out to buy Starc, but released him before the auction. Gerald Coetzee is someone who can be effective, both with the new ball and at the death. He can also hit the long-ball lower down the order. Bangladesh’s Taskin Ahmed can also bowl with a lot of pace and venom. England’s Gus Atkinson is another bowler KKR can look for.

Amongst Indian pacers, they can take a punt with Umran Malik, who has faded away a wee bit after clocking in the 150s consistently while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Need for spin

The Knight Riders have depended heavily on Sunil Narine over the last 12 years or so. But if Narine doesn’t fire, KKR need a potent overseas spinner in their squad to replace the veteran. Allah Ghazanfar was a part of the Knight Riders last season and they might hit a jackpot if they get back the Afghan spinner in their squad.

Noor Ahmad did well for Gujarat Giants in the chances he got and the Knights can get him in as well. Among Indian spinners, the Knights can look to buy back Suyash Sharma, who also adds an ex-factor to their playing XI.

Strong Indian middle-order

After releasing Shreyas Iyer and Nitish Rana, the Knights need potent batters who could strengthen their middle-order. Sarfaraz Khan is someone KKR could look at given his fearlessness and experience of playing for multiple teams in the IPL. They can also bring back Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who is young and can be a handy prospect for the Knights.

Andre Russell’s backup

Andre Russell is a quality all-rounder, but the fact that he is prone to injuries cannot be dismissed by any means. If he gets injured, the Knights need a genuine all-rounder to dismiss him. Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai has played for the Gujarat Titans and also been consistent for the national team. He was stupendous in the recent ODI series against Bangladesh in Sharjah.

Potential Playing XI for KKR

Sunil Narine, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Ramandeep Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, Gerald Coetzee/Gus Atkinson, Suyash Sharma, Harshit Rana