3 quality KKR players who might be benched throughout IPL 2024 ft. Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Having made some big-ticket signings at IPL 2024 auction, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won't settle for anything less than a playoff appearance this year.
Shreyas Iyer's fitness is under the scanner, but the captain is expected to return and take control of the side after missing out on the 2023 edition. Joining him will be a band of new signings led by Mitchell Starc, who became the most expensive player in auction history in December.
KKR have plenty of combinations they can try out when it comes to their first-choice team, but certain boxes have already been ticked. And the players vying to fill those spots might have to be resigned to a role on the sidelines during the competition.
KKR's squad for IPL 2024: Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sunil Narine, Phil Salt, Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, KS Bharat, Chetan Sakariya, Mitchell Starc, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Sherfane Rutherford, Manish Pandey, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Dushmantha Chameera, Sakib Hussain
Here are three quality KKR players who might be benched throughout IPL 2024.
#3 Anukul Roy
In what has become a rather unfortunate pattern, Anukul Roy is expected to warm the bench for KKR in IPL 2024 as well.
The talented all-rounder has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket for Jharkhand. He amassed 170 runs at a strike rate of 166.6 and picked up three wickets at an economy rate of 7.1 in the 2023-24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
However, given the fact that KKR have three world-class spinners in Varun Chakaravarthy, Suyash Sharma and Sunil Narine, Anukul could find it difficult to enter the playing XII. He might be seen as a substitute fielder, but game time could be tough to come by.
#2 Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Signed presumably as a backup for Sunil Narine, Mujeeb Ur Rahman was a late pick-up by KKR at the IPL 2024 auction.
The Afghan spinner hasn't been in great form lately, having been dropped from the T20I side but is a canny operator who offers all-phase value and a small amount of batting ability.
Again, the presence of Narine, Suyash and Chakaravarthy will dent Mujeeb's chances of being part of the Kolkata side during IPL 2024. Moreover, with the likes of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Andre Russell, Phil Salt and Mitchell Starc vying for the overseas slots, the spinner's case won't get any stronger.
Speaking of overseas slots...
#1 Sherfane Rutherford
Sherfane Rutherford has become the latest player KKR have signed as a potential backup for Russell, who has been injury-prone over the years. Rutherford rarely bowls these days, but his batting has seen a distinct upward trajectory, and he can chip in with handy cameos whenever needed.
However, with Russell being one of the centerpieces of the franchise, his younger West Indian teammate might not have a big role to play. Even if a vacancy opens up elsewhere, KKR seemingly don't have room for a player who is virtually a specialist batter these days.
Hence, Rutherford might not be able to add to his career tally of 10 IPL games during the 2024 edition.