IPL 2020: 3 Kolkata Knight Riders players to watch out for
Even though there are two months left for the IPL, there is excitement about the new season since the player auctions in December. The IPL Player auction for the next season took place on the 19th of December in Kolkata and a lot of money was spent on many players.
Pat Cummins became the highest earner with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) getting him for a whopping INR 15.5 crores. The Kolkata Knight Riders had released quite a few top players and so they needed to buy some big names. They have bought a few top players in this auction and everybody will be looking forward to watching them in action.
So, on that note, let’s have a look at three players to watch out for from the Kolkata Knight Riders.
#3 Tom Banton
The new young sensation from England has raised quite a few appreciative eyebrows with his power hitting skills. Before the auction, there was talk about Banton being the dark horse and he could get a lot of money. KKR got him cheaply at his base price for INR 1 crore.
Banton recently played in the BBL and he set it alight. Everybody was impressed with his aggressive batting as he scored 223 runs in seven innings at a strike-rate of 176.98. He smashed a fifty in just 16 balls in which he hit five consecutive sixes.
KKR had released Chris Lynn and it seems as if they found their replacement. Banton can bat at the top of the order and play a similar role. It will be fun to watch Banton in this upcoming season when he comes out to bat for the 2-time champions.
#2 Eoin Morgan
KKR has appointed Brendon McCullum as their head coach for their upcoming season. Eoin Morgan, the England white-ball captain as been pretty vocal about how he was inspired by McCullum’s captaincy in the shorter formats. These two men know each other well and have worked together earlier.
As soon as McCullum was appointed as head coach there were talks that KKR will go for Morgan and they did get him for INR 5.25 crores. He is a great addition to this KKR set-up. He can fit in the middle-order and help in the team decisions as well. KKR needed a solid middle-order batsman to support Dinesh Karthik and Andre Russell, and Morgan fits in the role at No.4.
He has been in terrific form for the last couple of years and the KKR fans will be hoping to see the best of him when he comes to play for their franchise.
#1 Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins, the No.1 Test bowler in the world was the highest earner in this year’s IPL auction as he received the highest bid of INR 15.5 crores from the Kolkata Knight Riders. Everyone will have an eye on his performance because of such a high price tag.
There is no doubt that Cummins is a top-class bowler. He can bowl anywhere in the innings and still be effective. KKR lacked a death bowler last year and he can play that role for them. Not only his skills but his experience as well come in handy for the young pacers like Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti.
His fitness and form will be the two things to look out for when he comes to the IPL. The amount of money which he is being paid will make sure that all the people keep an eye on his performances for the Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla co-owned team.
Also read: IPL 2020 | 3 Rajasthan Royals players to watch out for