3 quality KKR players who might be benched throughout the IPL 2023 season
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are staring at failure ahead of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL). Their roster is arguably the worst of all 10 franchises on paper and they weren't able to make any significant acquisitions in the auction.
Nevertheless, KKR have a decent playing XI in place and could make a playoff push if they manage to stay injury-free. They're unlikely to make many changes over the course of the campaign due to the specific combination of their side and a few big names might find themselves on the sidelines for an extended period.
Here are three quality KKR players who might be benched throughout the IPL 2023 season.
#3 Litton Das
Litton Das found an IPL team for the first time in the IPL 2023 auction as the Kolkata Knight Riders snapped him up for his base price. However, the 28-year-old might not make his debut in the prestigious league this year.
Litton is probably being viewed as a backup for Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who was acquired via trade from the Gujarat Titans ahead of the IPL 2023 auction. The Afghan keeper is a dashing pace-hitter and fits the profile perfectly for KKR. Moreover, Litton's T20I numbers read an average of 22.03 and a strike rate of 128.87, suggesting that he may not be ready for the IPL yet.
The Bangladesh batter might have to wait a bit longer than the upcoming season to get a sniff of the KKR playing XI.
#2 Anukul Roy
Anukul Roy
The underrated beast
1st Innings
Bat : 57 runs ( 72 balls )
Ball : 6 wickets - 67 runs - 26 overs
2nd Innings
Bat : DNB
Ball : 4 wickets - 63 runs - 26 overs https://t.co/REkGGzQOUD
Anukul Roy played two games for KKR in IPL 2022, scalping one wicket and scoring no runs. The all-rounder might not get many chances this year either.
Anukul, as a left-arm spinner who is proficient against spin, doesn't satisfy the Knight Riders' requirements right now. KKR already have left-handed spin-hitters in the middle order, namely Rinku Singh and Sunil Narine, and won't need a third spin option if Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy live up to expectations.
Anukul might have to stay satisfied with more special substitute-fielder appearances in IPL 2023.
#1 Shakib Al Hasan
KKR have always needed a backup for Sunil Narine, and they've sometimes turned towards Shakib Al Hasan to fill that void. They went down that path in the IPL 2023 auction as well, securing the services of their former player at his base price.
But like Anukul, Shakib doesn't give KKR what they need. He's a batter who needs to play in the top four in T20s, and those spots are already filled up. The Bangladesh all-rounder also had middling numbers in T20 internationals in 2022, averaging in the mid-20s and failing to pick up more than one wicket a game.
Narine has managed to put his action and injury concerns behind him to a decent extent, so Shakib might not have much of a role to play for KKR in IPL 2023.