Released players: Nikhil Naik, Siddhesh Lad, M Siddharth, Tom Banton, Chris Green, Harry Gurney.
Retained Players: Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Rahul Tripathi, Varun Chakravarthy, Ali Khan, Tim Seifert.
Remaining purse: 10.75 crore
The two-time IPL winner Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have off-late failed to perform consistently. In the last 2 seasons that they appeared, they missed out to qualify for the playoffs as they finished as the 5th best team in both the 2019 and 2020 season.
Last season they missed out by just net run rate and fell behind RCB. Ahead of this year mega auction, KKR have only released five players and have kept the basic core of the team unchanged. IPL 2021 auction brings a massive opportunity for them to grab some fresh talents and regain their previous dominant status in the IPL.
KKR did struggle a lot with their opening batting combination for majority of the last season. Shubman Gill did play well and cement his place at the top of the order with consistent performances, however his opening partner was never fixed.
Chris Lynn, can be a good addition to the KKR squad. Chris Lynn has played for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League from 2014 to 2019. Lynn and Gill both of them make a good opening partnership. He is someone who likes to tear apart the bowlers whereas Gill on the other side likes to build his innings, playing a supporting role. This pair can be a perfect combination for KKR.
KKR lacks a quality all rounder who can provide some valuable bowling option for them. While Andre Russell had a hard time in the IPL 2020, suffering from injuries and poor performance, KKR will be much happy if they manage to rope in one pace-bowling all-rounder in the squad.
Shivam Dube can be a good option in this case as he is now growing up as a useful all-rounder. He can do slog hitting coming down the order along with some handy medium pace bowling. This can provide a handy cushion for KKR if Russel fails to fire.
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KKR has always been a spin dominant bowling attack. Indian leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy impressed everyone during the IPL 2020, but the Caribbean off-spinner Sunil Narine and Indian left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav have been struggling to perform consistently, they need to have a quality spinner who can share the load with Narine and Varun Chakravarthy.
Afghanistan off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman can be a great value addition for this spot. He has so far taken 145 wickets in 132 T20 matches. Despite him being very young, he has already huge experience by participating in various T20 leagues. Mujeeb can perform consistently for the team and be useful in the powerplays.
KKR needs to have a balanced team given the conditions playing in the Indian subcontinent and the bowlers need to be picked meticulously if they urge to win the title again.