On 19th December, the fate of many players will be decided as the franchises will bid for their favourites. Kolkata Knight Riders’ newly-appointed head coach Brendon McCullum believes that luck can only help his franchise in the IPL 2020 auction.
KKR have released 11 players, and among them, three were high profile players- Robin Uthappa, Chris Lynn and Piyush Chawla. According to pundits, it is a big mistake for KKR to release these three players. In total, Kolkata-based franchise has retained 13 players and have 11 slots left with them. This franchise is the two-time winners in the Indian Premier League and finding a combination which can give them the title in next edition.
Brendon McCullum, who is first time entering the tournament as the head coach, will be present in Kolkata on Thursday (19th December). Former New Zealand captain is dependent on the luck and hopes that all go good in the auction.
On the way to Kolkata for the @IPL Player Auction. Our @KKRiders squad will be completed in just a couple of days’ time. All the planning & preparations behind the scenes will require some luck come auction night. Here’s hoping the cards fall our way,” Brendon McCullum tweeted.
On the way to Kolkata for the @IPL Player Auction. Our @KKRiders squad will be complete in just a couple of days time. All the planning & preparations behind the scenes will require some luck come auction night. Here’s hoping the cards fall our way. ??
— Brendon McCullum (@Bazmccullum) December 17, 2019
Brendon McCullum was appointed as the head coach after Jacques Kallis was unsuccessful in heading the team in 2019 edition. KKR has INR 35.65 Crore in the purse. The franchise needs to make wise decisions after releasing their strong players.
The list of released and retained players is as follows:
Released: Robin Uthappa, Chris Lynn, Anrich Nortje, Piyush Chawla, Joe Denly, Yarra Prithviraj, Nikhil Naik, KC Cariappa, Matthew Kelly, Shrikant Mundhe and Carlos Brathwaite.
Retained: Dinesh Karthik, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav, Shubman Gill, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Sandeep Warrier, Harry Gurney, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Siddhesh Lad.