3 Indian KKR players who would have been a great fit at LA Knight Riders
Major League Cricket (MLC), a franchise T20 cricket tournament based in the USA has started. Among the participating teams, LA Knight Riders, affiliated with the renowned Kolkata Knight Riders, is one of the three franchises owned by IPL teams. LA Knight Riders have meticulously crafted a formidable roster.
Jason Roy, the star England batter, has already made the decision to forego his England contract to join the Knight Riders in the MLC. Roy, who previously served as a replacement player for KKR in IPL 2023, will now reunite with Kiwi pace sensation Lockie Ferguson as they take the field for the Knight Riders. Sunil Narine has been named captain of the side.
Here we take a look at 3 Indian KKR players who would have been a great fit at LA Knight Riders:
#3 Varun Chakravarthy
The Tamil Nadu spinner could have been a great addition to the LA Knight Riders. He has evolved into one of the leading mystery spinners in the IPL and with his experience, could have been handy on surfaces that are expected to be two-paced and on the slower side.
After a rather mediocre season in the IPL last year, Chakravarthy was back to his best this season. On surfaces that offered assistance to the tweakers, the right-arm spinner proved to be a match-winner for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
In 56 IPL matches, he picked up 62 wickets with an economy rate of 7.45.
#2 Venkatesh Iyer
Another KKR star who would be just the right fit at the LA Knight Riders would have been Venkatesh Iyer. The all-rounder smacked his maiden T20 century this season and would have gelled in perfectly with the LA Knight Riders.
With his unbridled batting approach, Iyer would have been the opener to watch out for at Major League Cricket. Apart from his batting, his medium pace would have been another asset to watch out for.
We go back to the nature of surfaces again – since the strips would be new, no one would know anything about them and hence, bowlers who take the pace off deliveries would be really handy.
#1 Rinku Singh
Rinku Singh emerged as one of the stars in this season of the IPL. With a calm temperament and superb ball striking, he became a cult hero for the Kolkata Knight Riders. He would have been a star entry for the LA Knight Riders, a player crowds would throng the stadiums to watch.
In 14 matches this IPL season, Rinku scored 474 runs at an average of 59.25 and with a strike rate of 149.53. He won matches for KKR from rather hopeless positions and his five consecutive sixes of the last five balls to win a game against the Gujarat Titans shall never be forgotten.
Rinku would have been a real marquee player at Major League Cricket.