"They have RRR" - Aakash Chopra on KKR's strengths heading into IPL 2025
Cricket-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra has picked the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) trio of Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, and Ramandeep Singh as one of their strengths heading into IPL 2025. He opined that the franchise has one of the best middle orders ahead of the upcoming edition of the prestigious league.
KKR held on to Rinku (₹13 crore) and Russell (₹12 crore) alongside Varun Chakaravarthy (₹12 crore) and Sunil Narine (₹12 crore) as their four capped retentions ahead of the recent auction. Ramandeep and Harshit Rana were retained for ₹4 crore apiece as uncapped players as they hadn't represented India before the cut-off date of October 31.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener chose the explosive middle order of Rinku, Russell, and Ramandeep as one of the Kolkata Knight Riders' positives.
"They have a lot of depth in batting. They are explosive. They have RRR. Ramandeep is now an India player and he has also matured. So Rinku, Russell and Ramandeep are three of your batters who can bat at four, five and six. This four, five and six could be one of the better Nos. 4 to 6 in the league," he said (1:50).
Chopra added that KKR have a formidable batting lineup despite losing Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, and Phil Salt from last season's contingent.
"Apart from that, Venkatesh Iyer and Angkrish Raghuvanshi. So there is a lot of firepower in batting. They have done this job very well. They have continued what was there last year. Shreyas Iyer had a very small role with the bat last year. Of course, he contributed as a captain. Although they don't have Shreyas, Nitish Rana and Phil Salt, batting has depth and explosiveness with the RRR," he observed.
KKR bought Venkatesh Iyer for a whopping ₹23.75 crore at the auction. While Angkrish Raghuvanshi was purchased for ₹3 crore, Quinton De Kock (₹3.6 crore), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (₹2 crore), Rovman Powell (₹1.5 crore), Manish Pandey (₹75 lacs), and Ajinkya Rahane (₹1.5 crore) were their other prominent batting acquisitions.
"This is your bank of 8 overs of mystery spin" - Aakash Chopra on KKR's spin-bowling duo of Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine
![Varun Chakaravarthy (21) was the second-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2024. [P/C: iplt20.com]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/11/8917d-17327660797951-1920.jpg?w=500)
In the same video, Aakash Chopra picked the spin-bowling duo of Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine as another of the Kolkata Knight Riders' strengths.
"Their spin bowling. It's the same as last year - Varun Chakaravarthy from one end and Sunil Narine from the other. This is your bank of eight overs of mystery spin. No one is able to read these spinners or hit them. Everyone struggles against them," he said (3:10).
The former batsman pointed out that while Chakaravarthy's graph is on an upward trajectory, Narine is still a potent weapon.
"Varun Chakaravarthy's graph has also gone upwards. He played well last year and the year before that too, but now what he is doing for India, that kind of confidence can help him set a trap for every batter. Sunil Narine is still bowling well. There was a dip in his career as a bowler but that has changed completely. The eight-over bank is extremely dependable," Chopra observed.
Chopra concluded by highlighting that KKR also have an outstanding overseas contingent. Apart from retaining or acquiring Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Quinton De Kock, Rovman Powell and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the defending IPL champions bought Anrich Nortje (₹6.5 crore), Spencer Johnson (₹2.8 crore), and Moeen Ali (₹2 crore) at the auction.