Kolkata Knight Riders: So many players have come up with brilliant performances and that is what will make it difficult for the management to retain only a few.
Chennai: It was a night to remember for the Knight Riders as they clinched their third IPL title on Sunday in Chennai with an eight-wicket win over the Sunrisers Hyderabad. But now, with the season over, the Knights would have to go back to the drawing board and chalk out a plan for the next season. Who are the players they would retain? So many players have come up with brilliant performances and that is what will make it difficult for the management to retain only a few. Here are the four players we think KKR would retain ahead of the mega auction.
Sunil Narine: Surely, KKR will not let him off. He has been the player of the season for the Knights – not just with the ball, but with the bat as well. Narine provided KKR starts which eventually helped them win matches. In 14 outings with the bat, Narine amassed 488 runs at a staggering strike-rate of 180.74. This features three fifties and a century as well. With the ball, he picked up 17 wickets and conceded 6.69 runs per over.
Shreyas Iyer: He may not have fully lived upto the expectations with the bat, but he led the side to the title. Surely, you cannot let go of your captain after that. So, Iyer is almost a certainty to be retained, like Narine. Iyer amassed 351 runs in 14 games at an average of 39 and a strike rate of 146.86.
Andre Russell: He picked up three wickets in the final and has come up with performances throughout the campaign. He is one of the finest allrounders in the T20 format and an indispensable player. Russell scored 222 runs at a strike rate of 185 and then he also picked up 19 wickets. It is next to impossible for KKR to let go of Russell.
Now, if you have the provision to retain four players, it become difficult to pick one from Venkatesh Iyer, Mitchell Starc, Phil Salt, Rinku Singh or Varun Chakravarthy.
