- Kolkata Knight Riders come into the IPL 2019 Auction with 12 slots to fill, having released eight players from their 2018 roster.
- The two-time champions let go of Australian pacer Mitchell Starc, and only have three overseas players in a 13-man squad as things stand.
- Dinesh Karthik-led KKR will carry a maximum available purse of Rs 15.20 crore into the auction on Tuesday, 18 December.
Kolkata Knight Riders had a fairly successful IPL 2018, finishing third on the points table and nearly reaching the final, before going down to Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 2. But for a hungry franchise, title winners in 2012 and 2014, that wasn’t deemed enough of a hit. Eight members from a 21-man roster have been released – most notably Mitchell Starc, who missed the entirety of last season due to injury.
Having let go of Gautam Gambhir prior to the campaign, 2018 was KKR’s first season under Dinesh Karthik. It appears likely they will enter the next season wearing a new look again, with lots needed to do at the IPL 2019 auction.
Bare Basics
- Auction Purse: Rs 15.20 crore
- Players in Squad: Total 13, Overseas 3
- Spots to Fill: Total 12, Overseas 5
Trading Window
In: None
Out: Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson, Tom Curran, Cameron Delport, Javon Searles, Ishank Jaggi, Apoorv Wankhede, R Vinay Kumar.
(Matches played by released players in IPL 2018: 17)
Retained: Dinesh Karthik, Robin Uthappa, Chris Lynn, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Prasidh Krishna.
As Things Stand
Contributions across the board were key to Kolkata’s joy at IPL 2018 – this wasn’t a unit where the absence, or presence, of one particular individual made a telling difference to the end result.
Four different KKR batsman scored above 350 runs in IPL 2018, while five different bowlers finished with 10 wickets or more. Six of their 13 retained players featured in all 16 matches last season; two others appeared in 15.
That the players released by KKR played a combined total of 17 matches suggests they won’t be losing out on a lot; but their troubles, largely, come in areas of depth – unsurprising, given that the total roster is 13.
Concerns
A lack of numbers in the overseas category. Five released foreigners might have been their own choice, but the participation of one of the three retained overseas stars is now up in the air.
Australian players in the World Cup mix for the national team will effectively be available for two to three weeks of the 2019 season (Australia are scheduled to play an ODI series in UAE from the last week of March until mid-April, and the board wants players in the World Cup squad back by 2 May to begin a preparatory camp).
That leaves Chris Lynn – a key cog of the KKR wheel in recent years – a virtual absentee. Add to that Andre Russell’s recent fitness concerns, and the KKR management are sure to be fretting.
The release of Starc and Mitchel Johnson leaves Kolkata light on fast-bowling reserves, too. Russell aside, there isn’t a single capped pacer in the squad.
In addition, a purse of Rs 15.20 crore with at least 8-10 berths to fill will mean KKR will be unable to go head-first into major bidding wars at the IPL 2019 auction.
Needed at IPL 2019 Auction
- At least two quality batsmen, plus two back-ups
- A reliable top-order option as back-up to Lynn
- One wicket-keeping back-up (Karthik the only ‘keeper in the squad)
- Strength, and experience, in fast-bowling department
IPL 2019 Auction Watch-List
- Nicholas Pooran (Base Price: Rs 75 lakh)
- Shimron Hetmyer (Base Price: Rs 50 lakh)
- Mohammad Shahzad (Base Price: Rs 50 lakh)
- Manoj Tiwary (Base Price: Rs 50 lakh)
- Jaydev Unadkat (Base Price: Rs 1.5 crore)
- Khary Pierre (Base Price: Rs 50 lakh)
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