IPL 2024 Auction: Five players Kolkata Knight Riders can target, remaining purse and more

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are two-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions but the last title they won came in 2014. The last two seasons saw them finish at the seventh spot and that resulted in the management hitting the reset button. Gautam Gambhir, who led KKR to the two IPL titles, is back with the team as a mentor and the reset started with the team releasing as many as 12 players including some big names like Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Shakib Al Hasan and Shardul Thakur. They will enter the IPL mini-auction on 19 December with a big purse and before we discuss their possible strategy, here’s how they shape up right now. KKR retained players: Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Shreyas Iyer, Jason Roy, Sunil Narine, Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy KKR released players: Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, Aarya Desai, David Wiese, Narayan Jagadeesan, Mandeep Singh, Kulwant Khejroliya, Shardul Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Johnson Charles Purse left: Rs 32.7 crore Slots left: 12 (4 overseas slots) KKR Auction Strategy: Shreyas Iyer is back so their batting looks almost sorted with Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh and Andre Russell. But they have released almost all of their pacers and while the pitch at Eden Gardens might be suited for spinners, KKR will need fast bowlers for matches away from home. KKR aiming for pacers, at least four including two overseas players in the auction looks like a given. Other areas could be a backup overseas batter and a wicket-keeper as a backup to Rahmanullah Gurbaz after releasing Narayan Jagadeesan. Players KKR Can Target: Gerald Coetzee Gambhir always goes for impact players and the South African pacer is one of them. He took 20 wickets on his ODI World Cup debut and three against India in a T20I on 12 December. KKR are expected to go for wicket-taking aggressive bowlers under Gambhir’s guidance and Coetzee fits the bill. Dilshan Madushanka A left-arm pacer who can take wickets in powerplay, Dilshan Madushanka will surely attract bids from KKR. He recently impressed with 21 wickets in the World Cup and could be one among many pacers joining KKR at the auction. Azmatullah Omarzai A fast-bowling all-rounder with capabilities to hit the ball could be the closest replacement KKR can get for Andre Russell and that should make them fight for Omarzai in the auction. Even if he doesn’t bat, he helps them add an overseas pacer to their squad. [caption id=“attachment_12467852” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Harshal Patel could be seen playing for KKR next season. BCCI image[/caption] Harshal Patel Kolkata are going to target a lot of fast bowlers and while most of their picks would be wicket-takers by nature, Harshal can also be a choice for them. His slow cutters would suit the slow Eden Gardens pitch, plus he is capable of doing well in death overs. Harvik Desai KKR need a backup Indian keeper in case they do not wish to overburden Gurbaz with the keeping duties in all matches. Saurasthra wicket-keeper Harvik Desai can be an option for them given how he excelled in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023-24 with 336 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of 175.