How KKR retained players Anukul Roy and Rinku Singh can prove to be a masterstroke?

In the recently conducted IPL auction, the KKR management came under much criticism for not recruiting too many new players. But they already had their squad settled before the auction even started. They were one of the most active teams during the trading window. In this article, we will discuss how KKR retained players can change the game for the team

Kolkata Knight Riders are one of the most successful franchises of the Indian Premier league. They purchased 8 players during the IPL 2023 auction. Also, they traded in 3 players during the trading window. The two times champions went into the mini-auction with a purse of 7.05 crores INR. They retained the likes of Shreyash Iyer, Tim Southee, Andre Russel, Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Anukul Roy from their last season’s squad.

The masterstroke of KKR management

The KKR management did a masterstroke by retaining the services of Rinku Singh and Anukul Roy. Rinku Singh is perhaps one of the most finest fielders in their entire squad. Also, his pinch-hitting ability can come in handy to the team when chasing big targets. Also, Anukul Roy’s all-round performance can help the team a lot. He is quite known to the wicket of Eden Gardens as he belongs to the East Zone and has played a lot of matches on that ground. Apart from that other KKR retained players like Andre Russel and Sunil Narine are currently at the top of their form.

KKR traded in Afgan wicketkeeper Rahamanullah Gurbaaz, Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur and Lockie Ferguson before the auction. The recruitment of Rahamanullah Gurbaaz can prove to be a good decision. Last season, KKR suffered a lot due to the lack of a good wicketkeeper. The likes of Sheldon Jackson and Baba Indrajith failed to deliver last season. Rahamanullah’s good wicketkeeping skills apart from his batting can provide KKR with a good wicketkeeping option.

Poor Auction strategy can backfire

The purchase of David Wiese and N Jagadeesan can be regarded as a good decision by KKR management during the auction. But the decision to rope in Liton Das and Shakib Al Hasan will come under question. Liton Das’s strike rate in T20 cricket is not up to the mark for considering him for the IPL. Also, Shakib’s old age can be a drawback to the KKR management. Also, the top order of the Kolkata-based side is a bit weaker than the other IPL teams. Kolkata management failed to recruit any local players from the auction. The lack of any local player in the squad will definitely affect the team spirit.

Kolkata Knight Riders were one of the strongest squads in the IPL 2022. But they failed to leave up to the expectations of the fans. They finished in the 7th position in a 10-team league. At the end of the day, cricket is a team game. But the entire team of KKR is based on individual brilliance. So it can be another disappointing season for the fans in the IPL 2023.