IPL 2022 Auction: 3 players who may be a surprise captaincy choice for KKR

Ingenuity and out-of-the-box thinking have often defined Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL.

Whether it was the use of little-known players like Manvinder Bisla to win titles, Sunil Narine's promotion to the top of the order, backing two mystery spinners despite their struggles, being hell-bent on an aggressive batting style, or the unearthing of Venkatesh Iyer - KKR's journey has been full of surprises.

Some have worked, and others, like the ₹15.50 crore signing of Pat Cummins, have come a cropper. But that hasn't deterred them from taking big risks for high rewards and, after a runners-up finish last season, there's no reason to stop either.

IPL 2022 presents them with a chance to make their biggest punt ever. The mega auction is just about a week away and KKR is one of the few teams that haven't announced their captain yet. While Shreyas Iyer, David Warner, Ishan Kishan, Shikhar Dhawan and Jason Holder are some obvious candidates, below, we discuss some left-field options that the two-time champions might look at as well.

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#1 Venkatesh Iyer

It took Venkatesh Iyer just a couple of months, 10 matches, 370 runs and an average of 41.11 to replace Shubman Gill as KKR's poster boy.

This became official when the franchise preferred 27-year-old Iyer in their four retentions for the season despite many considering 22-year-old Gill as a potential future captain. Gill, too, despite admitting an emotional connection with KKR, has already moved on to the new Ahemadabad team as one of their three draft picks.

Now, it's always better for a side to pick a captain from its core group instead of bringing someone from the outside. It might come as a surprise to some, but we can't rule out KKR taking their partnership with Iyer to the next level.

He can lead from the front as an opening batter, carries himself with a sharp, cool and pragmatic mindset and is more than handy with the ball which is always an added advantage for a leader. Iyer also has some prior captaincy experience with the Madhya Pradesh Under-23 team.

And like some other captaincy gambles in the past, he too has a big future with the national team, which means he'll only grow in stature with experience.

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#2 Eoin Morgan

There's a slight chance that the Shah Rukh Khan co-owned team might revert to Eoin Morgan as their captain even if it's for a short period.

After all, the World Cup-winning English skipper almost took them to the title with an unbelievable run in the second half of last season. And although Morgan's returns with the bat - a vexing issue in the UAE - haven't improved much since, he's still among the most experienced and successful white-ball captains going around.

If KKR are unable to get Shreyas Iyer and David Warner at the auction, they need to groom a youngster like Venkatesh Iyer or Ishan Kishan, with Morgan being the best stop-gap solution. He can help rebuild the team along with his good friend Brendon McCullum, cement their successful playing style with the new players, and prepare for a seamless transition to the next captain in IPL 2023.

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#3 Pat Cummins

If neither of the above two conjectures materialize, KKR might look at finding a middle ground with Australian quick Pat Cummins.

Experienced but still young, newly minted as his national team's Test captain - coming off a superb 4-0 Ashes win, brilliant all-rounder, genuine team man and a long-term prospect - Cummins has all the ingredients to be the Men in Purple's next captain. Add to that his familiarity with the franchise and you have a winner.

Cummins will likely bring a different ideology than Morgan and it might take some adjusting from the coaching staff and the management. There might be issues with his workload and form too. But if both parties can meet halfway, it could be the most profitable investment for them and the franchise as well.