IPL2018: 5 players Kolkata Knight Riders should look to retain

#3 Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav

The chinaman bowler has taken the world by storm with his masterful spin bowling for the Indian team. In the national side, he has strengthened his place in the limited overs cricket. The one of a kind bowler of India is the player to watch out for in the future. He is certainly the one that KKR would want to have in the team.

His IPL numbers don’t speak volumes about his skills as he has played just a handful of matches. In 15 IPL matches, he has bagged 18 wickets so far but these stats are only going to get better with time. His recent performances in T20Is for India has shown that he is a handy bowler for the shortest format of the game.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you

Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir
It's time for us to look at Kolkata Knight Riders, a franchise that is always in the limelight. Ever since the inception of the Indian Premier League, it has been the most talked about team mostly because of its owner Shah Rukh Khan, the superstar of Bollywood. Just like King Khan, his team has always been the most glamorous. Even though the franchise remains in the headlines but it wasn't the strongest side on the field initially and the performances lifted from the 2012 edition when they lifted the title for the first time. Since then, KKR have been a formidable team and the one that learned to stay in the top half of the table. The auction for the next season is just a few days away and it's time for the team management to act upon the regulations put forth by the governing committee. The teams have been allowed to retain a maximum of 5 players including the Right to Match card. KKR do have a great bunch of players to select from for retention.

Here are the 5 players Kolkata Knight Riders should look to retain

#1 Gautam Gambhir

The fortunes of KKR took a drastic turn in the year 2011 when Gautam Gambhir was picked in the side and was handed over the captaincy. The team that was languishing at the bottom in the previous 3 seasons, managed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time and then went on to win their maiden title in 2012. The side led by Gambhir once again became the champions in the year 2014. The identity of KKR is associated now with the presence of the left-hander. He may not be a part of the Indian side anymore but he is still a premier contributor with the bat for the IPL franchise. In the last edition, he amassed 498 runs in 16 matches at an average of 41.5 and finished as the second highest run-getter only behind David Warner. Overall, he has scored 4133 runs in 148 IPL games at 31.55 that included 35 half-centuries.

#2 Robin Uthappa

Robin Uthappa
Robin Uthappa
Robin Uthappa is perhaps the unluckiest cricketer of Indian cricket in the recent times. Despite having loads of talent and accumulating bucket full of runs in domestic cricket, he couldn't make it big at the international arena. But the 32-year-old has been one of the most consistent performers in the IPL over the years. The right-hander has been a prominent member of the KKR side and has played so many crucial knocks for them. He and Gambhir formed a formidable opening pair until the unorthodox Sunil Narine took his place at the top. Uthappa has scored 3778 runs from 149 IPL games at an average of 29.52 and a strike rate of 131.64. The franchise might not want to let go of the experienced lad.

#3 Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav
The chinaman bowler has taken the world by storm with his masterful spin bowling for the Indian team. In the national side, he has strengthened his place in the limited overs cricket. The one of a kind bowler of India is the player to watch out for in the future. He is certainly the one that KKR would want to have in the team. His IPL numbers don't speak volumes about his skills as he has played just a handful of matches. In 15 IPL matches, he has bagged 18 wickets so far but these stats are only going to get better with time. His recent performances in T20Is for India has shown that he is a handy bowler for the shortest format of the game.

#4 Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine
Talk about T20 cricket and Sunil Narine is already one of the best bowlers ever in the game. His mystery spinners have made the batsmen dance to his turn over the years. Even though he had to remodel his action after he was banned from bowling due to an illegal action, yet he is pretty useful with the reformed action. The lengths that he bowls makes it extremely difficult to score off him and he can contain at any stage of the innings. In 82 IPL matches, the spinner has picked up 95 wickets at a meager economy rate of 6.33. Last year, he showed another aspect of his game as he opened the innings and flourished from the outset and also managed to notch up the fastest fifty in IPL history.

#5 Andre Russell

Andre Russell
Andre Russell
The players from the Caribbean are the true essence of IPL and ever since 2008, they have lit up the tournament with their extraordinary T20 skills. Andre Russell is one of those players who has proved to be an asset for the league. Despite missing the last edition due to a suspension, Kolkata Knight Riders have the right to retain him. The all-rounder possesses tremendous skills with both bat and bowl. He hits monstrous sixes and carries power as much as anyone in the game. Additionally, he is a frontline seamer that can bowl at the start as well as at the death. In 34 IPL games, he has accounted for 31 wickets and scored 574 runs at a massive strike rate of 173.41.   Stay updated with all the action of the Indian Premier League. Follow Cricadium on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram