3 Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) players who might not get enough matches in IPL 2021
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) narrowly missed out on a playoffs spot last season, as they finished on the fifth spot after the conclusion of the league stage. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) managed to edge out Eoin Morgan’s men by a superior net run-rate and booked a playoffs berth. However, KKR had their fate in their own hands but never managed to find their feet in the IPL 2020 campaign.
Some of the big names like Pat Cummins, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine came out with poor returns which deeply hurt the franchise’s chances of making it to the playoffs. However, KKR are the third most successful side in IPL history, having won two titles in 2012 and 2014. They will hope to bury their ghosts from last season and bounce back in style.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Squad for IPL 2021 season
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, Tim Seifert, Shakib-al-Hasan, Harbhajan Singh, Ben Cutting, Karun Nair, Pawan Negi, Venkatesh Iyer, Sheldon Jackson and Vaibhav Arora
Kolkata Knight Riders have a strong squad consisting of 25 players, and as a result, a few players are likely to remain on the bench throughout the season. A few quality players will have their chances hard to come by and will have to make most of every little opportunity presented to them.
3 Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) players who might not get enough matches in IPL 2021:
Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav played just five games in the last IPL season
Kuldeep Yadav is no longer the bowler from 2019 who used to be fearless and toss the ball up, inviting big shots from the batsman. The chinaman was taken to the cleaners against England in the ODI series, and bowled some poor lengths in his two outings. He bowled right in the slot or bowled too short, making it easier for the likes of Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow to clear the fence.
Kuldeep Yadav played just five matches last season and picked up just the one wicket. He did not play much in the IPL 2019 season either, being a part of just 9 matches. Varun Chakravarthy has established himself as the frontline spinner for Kolkata after his stellar season last year. Moreover, the franchise signed the likes of Harbhajan Singh and Pawan Negi at the auction, which is likely to restrict Kuldeep Yadav as a benchwarmer.
Tim Seifert
Tim Seifert
Tim Seifert, the dynamic Kiwi batsman is expected to spend the IPL 2021 season on the bench. The 26-year old has had a decent start to his T20I career, scoring 695 runs in his 35 matches at an average of just under 25. However, he does not fit into the scheme of the things at Kolkata. Given the overseas limit of just 4 players in the starting lineup, Seifert is most likely to miss out.
The franchise is expected to go in with an-all Indian opening pair this season, with Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana being assigned the duty. The likes of Eoin Morgan, Pat Cummins and Andre Russell are some of the certain starters for Kolkata next season, which leaves room for just one overseas player, which is expected to go to Shakib Al Hasan.
Also Read: 3 Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Players Who Might Not Get Enough Matches In IPL 2021
Sandeep Warrier
Sandeep Warrier played just one match last season
Sandeep Warrier will have his task out as he will battle against the likes of Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti for a place in the starting eleven. Warrier managed to play just one match for the franchise last season and went wicketless. With Prasidh Krishna making his ODI debut against England and delivering an impressive performance, he is expected to get feature alongside Pat Cummins as the KKR’s frontline pacers.