"I felt that there was a sense of panic" - Tom Moody on Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL Auction 2023

Former Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Tom Moody said that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were somewhere in panic during the recently-concluded IPL Auction 2023.

The annual auction for the 16th season of the IPL took place on Friday, December 23, in Kochi, where a total of 80 players, including 29 overseas players, were sold for a total sum of INR 167 crores.

Two-time IPL winners KKR purchased eight players in the mini-auction. Ahead of the event, the team was left with a purse value of 7.05 crores after retaining 11 players in the retention window.

The franchise also traded in three players - Shardul Thakur (from Delhi Capitals), Lockie Ferguson (from Gujarat Titans) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (from Gujarat Titans).

Bangladesh duo of Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das, Namibia all-rounder David Wiese and Tamil Nadu opener Narayan Jagadeesan were some of the highlighted picks by KKR in the auction.

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While analyzing the auction strategy of each franchise to prepare for IPL 2023, Moody pointed out that KKR officials were mere spectators at the auction.

The former Australian cricketer told ESPNcricinfo:

"I don't put them in the same category as RCB. I felt that there was a sense of panic (and) just watching it unfold. Obviously they had their hands tied with limited budget because of the recruitment that they did in the trade window."

Moody added:

"I thought that they had an okay day at the auction table even though they didn't had a lot of work to do."

"Doubled up on a few areas they didn't need to double up" - Tom Moody on Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders released both of their wicketkeeping options in Sam Billings and Sheldon Jackson last month. They then secured the position after completing the trade of Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

The Shreyas Iyer-led side added two more wicketkeepers to the squad after signing Litton Das and Jagadeesan in the mini-auction.

While disagreeing with KKR's plan to include three wicketkeeper-batters in their squad for IPL 2023, Tom Moody said:

"To me, they doubled up on a few areas they didn't need to double up. Particularly in the wicketkeeping-batting sort of area that has been of an overload."

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Kolkata Knight Riders have a squad of 22 players, including eight overseas slots, for the next IPL tournament. Indian batter Shreyas Iyer will continue as the captain of the side for the second year in a row.