KKR retained players 2022: Full list of players retained by Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of IPL Auction
As the road to the IPL Auction 2022 began today with the retention deadline, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) named four players on their list. It, surprisingly, did not include captain Eoin Morgan or vice-captain Dinesh Karthik.
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Andre Russell, Varun Chakaravarthy, Venkatesh Iyer & Sunil Narine have been retained for the upcoming IPL season βοΈ
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Each franchise was allowed a maximum of four retentions. This was one more than the maximum limit for the IPL mega auction that happened in 2018.
Each team has been allotted a budget of Rs 90 crore for the IPL 2022 Mega Auction. If a team uses all four retentions, then Rs 42 crore will be deducted from the said budget.
Players that have not been retained are set to go into the pool for the Mega Auction scheduled for December.
Before the auction, however, the two new franchises will be allowed three picks from the player pool.
KKR retained players list with price
KKR retained two Indian players and two overseas players.
West Indies all-rounders Andre Russell and Sunil Narine were both retained along with Venkatesh Iyer and Varun Chakravarthy.
Of those left out, apart from Morgan and Karthik, the most notable mentions are Shubman Gill, Pat Cummins and Lockie Ferguson.
The likes of Nitish Rana and Rahul Tripathi have also put in handy contributions for the franchise over the last few years. However, they have also been let go of, although KKR may look to get a lot of these players back in the auction.
Here is the full list of KKR retained players 2022 with their prices:
Andre Russell - Rs 12 crore
Varun Chakravarthy - Rs 8 crore
Venkatesh Iyer - Rs 8 crore
Sunil Narine - Rs 6 crore
KKR reached the IPL 2021 final in dramatic circumstances but lost to Chennai Super Kings. They will now be looking to improve upon that performance by going all the way. They have retained some of their key performers from the last few years.
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Andre Russell has not been in the best of form and has struggled with injuries off late. But he remains a deadly asset with both bat and ball.
Varun Chakravarthy has emerged as KKR's X-factor in the last couple of seasons. He has formed a very potent mystery spin partnership with Sunil Narine.
Venkatesh Iyer was probably the most surprising of those retained, having made his IPL debut in the second half of last season. But the seam-bowling all-rounder has impressed at the top of the order. He has shown that he can also pitch in with a few overs with the ball when needed.
Sunil Narine's days of being a pinch-hitter at the top of the order are arguably gone. However, he showed last season that he is still a match-winner with the ball and is also capable of getting quick runs in the middle overs.