Before the start of IPL 2020, everyone felt KKR would go a long way in the tournament. However, when it came to the actual campaign, KKR was severely underwhelming. It was then that the pundits started pointing out the plugs in the team.
In the current squad, KKR has only three Indian capped players – Shubman Gill, Dinesh Karthik, and Kuldeep Yadav. Only Gill was good, while the other two did not do well. In the overseas contingent, while Russell and Narine were inconsistent, only Morgan looked apart.
If a mega-auction happens, KKR would be quite happy. They would get a chance in adding experience to the squad and also in buying some reliable T20 stars. But before that, if a mega-auction happens, here are five players KKR must try to retain in their current squad.
1. Shubman Gill
Though not brilliant, Gill was pretty adequate in IPL 2020. He is a talented youngster and is definitely one of the future superstars of the game. KKR must start building their batting unit around him from the upcoming campaign. In fact, it would not be a bad idea if he is given the vice-captaincy from next season itself. To get the best out of Gill, KKR must plan a permanent opening partner and not make too many changes.
2. Andre Russell
Despite his mediocre show in 2020, Andre Russell is still worth a bet for KKR. The man had an injury-ridden season, and most of his problems lay there. If he can remain fit, and in a good mental space, Russell can be the best T20 cricketer on his day. It has happened in the past, and KKR would be hopeful that it repeats multiple times in the future. For that to happen, they must make sure he remains in the purple-and-gold outfit. If they take a risk of relying on an RTM for him at the auctions, Russell may never be back at KKR.
3. Eoin Morgan
It is almost certain that Eoin Morgan will continue as KKR’s captain for at least next season. While his leadership skills need no introduction, Morgan is definitely on the same level as the likes of David Warner and Steve Smith when it comes to batting. When the Aussie duo is being retained, Morgan is also worth retaining. KKR must act on this and should make the English captain a central figure at the franchise next season. He also needs to be given a fixed batting slot. No.4 seems to be the ideal position for the Englishman.
4. Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins is definitely capable of emulating the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult, and Jofra Archer in IPL. It was just that he crumbled under the price-tag pressure in 2020. However, if he is retained, his salary would be much lower than the auction-figure. Hence, KKR could benefit from retaining Pat Cummins in their squad. That said, as seen in IPL 2020, Cummins needs a partner to bring out his best. KKR must focus on this as well at the upcoming auctions.
5. Varun CV
KKR might part ways with Sunil Narine before 2021. At least, he won’t be retained to start with. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, Narine himself is in underwhelming touch and is constantly being troubled by his action and injuries. The second and the more important reason is that KKR might have found a replacement for Narine – Varun CV. The Tamil Nadu player showed his skills in IPL 2020. He was a wicket-taker, and even did well when it came to containing runs. If not for an unfortunate injury, he would have been in Australia representing India. Now that that has not happened, Varun CV might be available in the uncapped quota for KKR.
