Updated: 23 August 2023
IPL 2024: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Might Release 5 Players Before Auction. Kolkata Knight Riders, the two-time IPL champions (2012 and 2014), have not won another title in the last nine years. KKR concluded the IPL 2023 in 7th position by winning six matches and losing eight out of fourteen.
KKR suffered a significant setback as skipper Shreyas Iyer was ruled out of the tournament due to a back ailment. After the injury, the team management handed the captaincy over to the young Nitish Rana. Although Rana did a decent job by winning five matches in twelve under his captaincy,
Although KKR have some big names like Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Tim Southee, and Shardul Thakur, yet the team failed to perform. With good players, you need to execute a good performance. And this is where KKR stumbled, not having a thoughtful plan to execute what it takes.
Seeing the team performance, the KKR team management might release five players before the IPL 2024 auction.
5 Players KKR Might Release Before the IPL 2024 Auction
David Weise
South African all-rounder David Wiese had a disappointing season with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 2023 IPL. However, Wiese failed to live up to the expectations placed on him after being purchased at auction for a considerable fee of Rs. 1 crore. Despite being offered opportunities, he appeared in only three games, and his efforts with the ball and the bat were unimpressive.
He scored only 21 runs and did not take a single wicket. KKR, being in desperate need of a reliable all-rounder who can contribute with both skill sets, may consider releasing Wiese ahead of the 2024 IPL auction.
Also Read: Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 Latest News And Updates
Lockie Ferguson
An investment of Rs 10 crore in right-arm fast bowler Lockie Ferguson returned virtually nothing for KKR. Lockie Ferguson only played three games for the team this season due to an injury.
In just 7.4 overs during IPL 2023, Ferguson got 96 runs at an economy rate of 12.52 while taking just one wicket. Due to his subpar performance, KKR might release him from their team.
Narayan Jagadeesan
The former wicketkeeper of the Chennai Super Kings made his debut for KKR in 2023 for the first time. Narayan concluded his IPL 2023 with 89 runs in six matches with a strike rate of 109.88 and an average of 14.83.
He was bought by KKR for Rs. 90 lakh at the IPL 2023 auction.
Mandeep Singh
Before joining KKR, Mandeep Singh played for Delhi, Punjab, and Bangalore. Despite having so much experience, Mandeep hasn’t been any good for KKR. In IPL 2023, he has scored only 14 runs with an average of 4.67 in three matches. It seems highly improbable that he will be offered another deal by KKR.
Mandeep Singh was sold to KKR at a base price of 50 lakhs in the IPL 2023 auction.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2023 Squad: Team List, Players And Head Coach For The Tournament
Andre Russell
Andre Russell, the West Indies all-rounder and one of the most senior players at KKR, has seen his performance plunge in the past few years. The KKR management team has always backed Russell due to his match-winning performances in the past.
However, the Caribbean all-rounder failed to live up to the lofty expectations that KKR had for him. Russell managed to score 227 runs in 14 matches and bowl only 15.1 overs. This might result in Russell’s release from KKR. KKR retained him for a whooping Rs. 12 crores of IPL 2023 auction .
