IPL auction 2020: Three Indian players KKR should target
Kolkata Knight Riders released 11 players from their squad ahead of the IPL 2020 auctions. The 11 released players included 6 Indian and 5 overseas players. Going into the auctions for the next season, KKR will have a budget of ₹35.65 crores to spend on players.
Knight Riders had a very poor IPL 2019. The team finished 5th in the league table and failed to qualify for the play-offs. KKR started the tournament on a very good note after winning 3 out of the 4 opening games. However, the rest of the tournament turned out to be a nightmare for KKR as they managed just 4 wins in the next 10 league games.
Over the years, KKR has had a very strong core of Indian players. Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Yusuf Pathan, Piyush Chawla, and Umesh Yadav were the main pillars of a successful KKR side. However, since the departure of Gautam Gambhir, Kolkata has failed to have a settled core of Indian players. After releasing big Indian players such as Robin Uthappa and Piyush Chawla, KKR will have to do a lot of work in the auctions to replace them wisely. The Knight Riders desperately require some wicket-taking bowlers and quality top and middle-order batsmen. Indian options could be the way to go for the franchise.
Also see - India West Indies schedule
Here are the three Indian players Kolkata Knight Riders should target in the upcoming auctions.
#3 Rahul Tripathi
Rahul Tripathi emerged onto the scene when he scored 391 runs in 14 games for the Rising Pune Supergiants and led them to their first-ever IPL finals. The aggressive opening batsman was Pune's most consistent batsman throughout the season. In the 2018 IPL auctions, Rajasthan bought Rahul Tripathi for a hefty amount of ₹3.40 crores. However, due to the presence of openers Ajinkya Rahane and Jos Buttler in the team, Tripathi failed to get regular chances at the top of the order and was asked to bat in the middle-order. Change in batting position hampered Tripathi's performances as he scored just 226 runs in 12 league games for Rajasthan.
Rahul Tripathi can replace Chris Lynn at the top of the order for the Kolkata Knight Riders. The Maharasthra-born batsman can open the innings with Shubman Gill and provide aggressive starts to the team. At just 26 years of age, Tripathi can be a part of the long-term core of Indian players for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
