IPL 2021 Auction: The IPL Auctions are as lucrative and enticing to the fans as much as the game itself. The auction of 2021 is just a few days away, and franchises will have their permutations and combinations in place by now.
Kolkata Knight Riders now have Rs 10.85 crore in their wallet for IPL 2021 Auction. A few players Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) can target in the auction are
Mujeeb ur Rehman:
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have three quality spinners in their squad. Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, and Sunil Narine form the core of the spin bowling department. However, in the past season, Kuldeep Yadav did not make the playing eleven in most of the matches, whereas Sunil Narine was ineffective with the ball.
So, KKR will be looking ahead to strengthen their spin bowling department. Mujeeb ur Rahman who was released by KXIP ahead of the auction, can be a potential target for Kolkata. The Afghanistani spinner can deliver up front as well as towards the end of the innings.
Jason Roy:
Jason Roy, the explosive English batsman, was released by Delhi Capitals before going into the IPL Auction. If Roy confirms his availability for the 2021 season, several teams will be targeted in the auction. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) can consider bidding for Jason Roy if they want to strengthen their batting department with some world-class talent.
Aaron Finch:
Kolkata Knight Riders could never get their opening batting combination correct in the last season. Shubman Gill was the only opener who was consistent enough to hold his spot in the team. Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Sunil Narine all had their fair share of failures while opening the innings. Aaron Finch, who was released by RCB, will be under the radar of several teams going into the auction. KKR can target the Australian captain as Finch is a top-class T20I batsman and can provide Kolkata’s top order stability.
Dawid Malan:
Kolkata Knight Rider might consider the possibility of bringing in Dawid Malan, who can open the innings alongside Shubman Gill. Malan is the world’s top T20I batsman, and as a result, he will be one of the most sought after names in the auction. More importantly, Eoin Morgan, captain of the T20I team, might prefer bringing in his fellow Englishman.
Ben Cutting
Buying a backup for Andre Russel will undoubtedly be KKR’s biggest priority going into the auction, and there aren’t many players who would be better than Ben Cutting for that role. He will most likely be available for a low price as well, which would allow them to invest in other areas without much constraint.
The Australian has scored 2319 runs in 166 games at a terrific strike rate of 150.19. He has also picked up 127 wickets at a strike rate of 21.1 and is more than capable of being a squad player. Cutting had previously played in the IPL and even won the Man of the Match award in 2016 final when he was a part of the Sunrisers.