IPL 2017 Auction: Two Players KKR Should Target To Balance Their Squad
Feb 19, 2017 at 6:59 PM
Champions of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2012 and 2014 editions, Kolkata Knight Riders, released almost the half of their squad while retaining only 14 of their core members. This decision means the Shah Rukh Khan-owned team will be the most active franchise in the IPL auction, which is set to take place in a couple of weeks. No points for guessing that they will be scanning through every player profile to build their team again.
Talking about the team composition, KKR would have certainly figured out the sort of players they lack in their side at the moment which can make the unit complete and balanced. While, as mentioned above, they have their core unit intact but variety seems to be missing. So here in this article, Sportzwiki tries to evaluate a couple of names who can add the balance to their side and strengthen the two-time champions.
Corey Anderson
Kolkata Knight Riders received an unexpected jolt when they learnt they would be without their premier fast bowling all-rounder Andre Russell. He is facing a ban from all forms of cricket for one year after failing to comply with the WADA regulations. His absence creates a big hole in the team which has a good mixture of good openers, explosive all-rounders, and supreme spinners. However, his absence means that now KKR have to find someone who is equal or better than Russell.
In such condition, only one player seems to be fit the bill – Mumbai Indians discard Corey Anderson. The seam bowling all-rounder shares similar playing attributes – bowls seam up and can smash the ball all around the park. Therefore, while it’s completely logical that Russell’s absence will be felt but Anderson, despite having faced few failures in past editions of IPL, can be a game changer that he is for New Zealand if he improvises his style as per the conditions.
Chris Jordan:
KKR has a dearth of a fast-bowlers in their retained players list after releasing Morne Morkel from the squad. While it remains uncertain if they’ll go after the tall South African quick, the fact cannot be denied that a frontline fast bowler is completely missing from the list. Umesh Yadav and Ankit Rajpoot are currently the only fast bowlers in the squad.
Therefore, considering the need, it would be very smart if KKR eye Chris Jordan, England’s most trusted limited-overs fast bowler in recent times. The 28-year-old right arm fast bowler was in great form in the recently concluded T20I series against India, claiming five wickets in three matches, including best bowling figures of 3/22 which restricted India to just 144 in the second game. He has earned a reputation for being economical and possesses good variations. Jordan would certainly add the much need X-factor to their fast bowling unit.
Catch all the live updates of 2017 IPL auction here