IPL 2020: 3 players KKR might regret letting go of
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) come into the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with a star-studded squad that has an excellent blend of experience and youth. Young stars like Shubman Gill and Shivam Mavi are ably complemented by the old guard of Dinesh Karthik and Andre Russell.
Players KKR might regret letting go of ahead of IPL 2020
However, KKR did make some bold calls ahead of the 2020 IPL auction, releasing as many as ten players including the likes of Carlos Brathwaite and South African tearaway quick Anrich Nortje.
In the 2020 IPL, KKR might come to regret letting go of these 3 players.
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#3 Robin Uthappa
Robin Uthappa had been a loyal servant of KKR for 6 years before they decided to release him ahead of the 2020 IPL auction.
In 84 innings for the franchise, the classy right-hander scored 2,439 runs at an average of 30.49 and played a pivotal role in almost all of their famous victories, including the IPL title win in 2014 in his first year at KKR. Uthappa also won the Orange Cap in that season, with 660 runs in 16 games.
The 34-year-old's form has dipped in recent years, with him not crossing 400 runs since his dream campaign in 2014. However, this can be attributed to Uthappa playing lower down the order, with Sunil Narine taking up the opener's duties in the past couple of seasons.
With the likes of Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana in the side, Uthappa could've been a mentor apart from lending valuable experience to the batting lineup. The batsman, who now plays for Kerala in the Indian domestic circuit, was snapped up by RR for 3 crores.
#2 Chris Lynn
It is still quite baffling as to why KKR let Chris Lynn go ahead of the 2020 IPL auction. The destructive opener had formed a lethal partnership with Narine at the top of the order and scored 1,274 runs in 40 games for the side.
Lynn has struggled with injuries over the course of his career but when he is on song, there is no stopping him. The Australian is still fondly remembered for his KKR debut in which he scored a 31-ball 45 and took a stunning catch to dismiss AB de Villiers in the last over of the match to snatch a win for his team.
KKR currently don't have an overseas top-order batsman apart from Tom Banton, and it remains to be seen if the Englishman will get regular games in the presence of Eoin Morgan. Lynn could've provided some additional firepower at the top of the order, in a team that he has been part of for 6 years.
Lynn will play for the Mumbai Indians in the 2020 IPL, and he is expected to form another lethal opening combination with South African Quinton de Kock.
#1 Piyush Chawla
The fact that the 2020 IPL is taking place in the UAE might be the reason behind Piyush Chawla being No. 1 on this list, but the leg-spinner has been consistently excellent for KKR at their home ground, the spin-friendly Eden Gardens.
Chawla was often the underrated cog in the 3-pronged spin wheel featuring Narine and Kuldeep Yadav, and was the man entrusted with keeping a check on the run-scoring rate in the most difficult overs of the innings. With a deceptive googly and a quicker one that touches the 120s, the 31-year-old will be a handful in the 2020 IPL, where he will play for the Chennai Super Kings.
Chawla is the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the history of the IPL, and 66 of his 150 wickets came for KKR. The hole left by his departure was addressed by the KKR team management as they snapped up talented mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, but the Tamil Nadu man is only 3 overs into his IPL career and might not have the requisite experience to immediately make an impact.
KKR might be left to rue their decision to let Chawla go.
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