Predicting Kolkata Knight Riders’ 3 first-choice overseas players for IPL 2022

Two-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) purchased 21 players at the mega auction to fill up their squad to the maximum limit of 25.

KKR bought Shreyas Iyer for a whopping Rs 12.25 crore. A few days back, the franchise also confirmed that the in-form batter would captain the team.

The franchise also brought back left-hander Nitish Rana for Rs 8 crore and fast bowler Shivam Mavi for Rs 7.25 crore. The out-of-form Ajinkya Rahane was a bit of a surprise pick at Rs 1 crore. Among overseas purchases, Kolkata went for pace bowler Pat Cummins for Rs 7.25 crore and Sam Billings for Rs 2 crore.

Ahead of the auction, KKR had retained four players - Andre Russell (Rs 12 crore), Varun Chakravarthy (Rs 8 crore), Venkatesh Iyer (Rs 8 crore) and Sunil Narine (Rs 6 crore).

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IPL 2022: KKR have quality overseas players

An IPL team can field a maximum of four overseas players in their XI. KKR have a few quality ‘foreign’ options in their squad. On that note, here’s a prediction of the franchise’s three first-choice overseas players for the 2022 season:

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#1 Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine batting during The Hundred. Pic: Getty Images

Mystery spinner-turned-all-rounder. That pretty much sums up Sunil Narine’s value to the KKR franchise.

In the initial years of the tournament, he was nearly unplayable as teams were trying to figure out his mystery deliveries. Once that was unlocked and questions were also raised over Narine’s bowling action, the West Indies player lost his mojo.

Over the last few seasons, though, the 33-year-old has reinvented himself. His remodelled bowling action might seem a bit bizarre to the naked eye. However, what is significant is that it does the job that is needed to be done - picking up wickets.

Moreover, Narine has turned into a dangerous pinch-hitter with the willow, and has engineered many turnarounds for his team with his blazing cameos.

He was one of KKR’s heroes as the franchise resurrected their IPL 2021 campaign after a disastrous start.

Narine claimed 16 wickets in 14 games at an average of 22.56 and a brilliant economy rate of 6.44. He also chipped in with 62 runs, including a 15-ball 26 in the Eliminator against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

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#2 Andre Russell

Andre Russell bowling in the BBL. Pic: Getty Images

West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell had a forgettable IPL 2021 campaign, plagued by injuries and poor form.

He turned out for the franchise only ten times, returning with a disappointing tally of 183 runs at an average of 26.14. However, his strike rate was still healthy at 152.50. The big-hitter managed only one half-century during the season. Russell impressed with the ball in spurts, claiming 11 wickets, with a best of 5-15.

Despite average returns, Russell was KKR’s most expensive retention ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction. That speaks volumes of how highly the franchise rates the Caribbean all-rounder.

Russell had a standout IPL campaign in 2019, clobbering 510 runs in 14 games at a stupendous strike rate of 204.81, including four half-centuries. However, he has failed to replicate those exploits since then.

In the IPL 2020 season, he managed only 117 runs at a poor average of 13. Nevertheless, KKR are likely to play Russell in the XI if he is fit and available.

The 33-year-old is an impact player who can change the course of games in the span of a few deliveries. Moreover, he the rare ability to bowl at the death, and does a good job of it on most occasions.

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#3 Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins celebrates with teammates during the T20 series against Sri Lanka. Pic: Getty Images

Australia’s new Test captain Pat Cummins is also likely to feature in KKR’s first-choice XI.

He has the pace to trouble batters in the T20 format. One feels he hasn’t quite performed to his potential in the IPL, and has only provided glimpses of his true prowess. Kolkata would have been aware of the same, but were still happy to buy him back at the recent mega auction.

Cummins has represented KKR in the last two IPL seasons. In 2020, a year in which he was the most expensive buy, the fast bowler seemed under pressure, and couldn’t deliver to expectations.

Nevertheless, he ended up with a decent haul of 12 wickets from 14 games. During the last edition, the 28-year-old was a lot more effective. He claimed nine scalps in seven games, but did not feature in the UAE leg.

The advantage of having someone like Cummins is that he can produce wicket-taking deliveries even in the T20 format.

Add to that, Cummins is a highly-underrated batter. Last season, he nearly pulled off a miraculous win for KKR against CSK with his brutal hitting. He is also a good fielder. His versatility makes Cummins a hard-to-ignore pick, even though he may not have the numbers to flaunt.