Both Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals had assembled strong squads ahead of IPL 2020, with dangerous foreign players to go with strong Indian cores. However, both KKR and RR failed to live up to expectations as inconsistencies and some bizarre decisions meant that they failed to qualify for the play-offs. We look at the auction 2021 strategy for both teams.
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Purse: INR 10.75 crore
Slots available: 8, including 2 overseas
Retained: Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Tim Seifert (wk), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Pat Cummins, Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Rahul Tripathi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakaravarthy
Released: Tom Banton (wk), Nikhil Naik (wk), Chris Green, Siddharth M, Siddhesh Lad, Ali Khan
In the market for: An overseas opener, a reliable finisher (preferably Indian), an overseas spinner
Players they could bid for:
Shakib Al Hasan: The Bangaldeshi will be a much-sought after player due to his effectiveness with both bat and ball. From 317 T20s, Shakib has over 5,000 runs and 360 wickets. KKR has always had a strong spin core, but with Narine and Kuldeep not in the best of form in the last two seasons, they will be eager to stack up their spin resources. Shakib is also an able finisher, which will relieve the pressure on the likes of Russell and Karthik.
Mohammad Azharuddeen: The Kerala player is not the most consistent, but he can be an hotly-contested pick for his aggressive batting at the top of the order. KKR have an anchor in Gill, but his strike rate had come for criticism last season. Azharuddeen can smash the balls out of the park from the get go, which makes him an ideal choice as an opener. His presence will also allow KKR to play two overseas pacers in Ferguson and Cummins.
Rajasthan Royals:
Source: Twitter (IPL)
Purse: INR 37.85 crore
Retained: Sanju Samson (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Riyan Parag, Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Kartik Tyagi, Andrew Tye, Jaydev Unadkat, Mayank Markande, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Anuj Rawat, David Miller, Manan Vohra
Released: Steven Smith, Ankit Rajpoot, Oshane Thomas, Akash Singh, Varun Aaron, Tom Curran, Anirudha Joshi, Shashank Singh, Robin Uthappa (traded)
Slots to fill: 8, including 3 overseas
In the market for: A pace bowler, a finisher, a spinner
Jhye Richardson: The Australian is sure to attract bids and could interest RR as well. Archer had given the Royals starts in the last edition, but the lack of a seasoned fast bowler hurt them. Archer’s good work was often undone by the likes of Unadkat, Aaron or Rajpoot. has great pace and skills, and will enter the IPL after a successful BBL. IPL teams have, of late, started fielding two overseas pacers, and RR could be the latest to join the bandwagon.
Chris Morris: The South African will be much sought-after, considering his skills in the death overs with both bat and ball. A real gun with the ball in the final overs, he can allow RR to bowl Archer upfront. Morris can also strike the ball at a rate of nearing 158, which will take the pressure off the top-order.