IPL Auction 2018: 3 interesting captaincy candidates for Kolkata Knight Riders

IPL Auctions 2018 concluded recently with 8 teams picking up 169 players in the two-day affair. This year's auction, like every year, threw up quite a few surprises with many unknown players going for a huge price and some recognised players going unsold.

Kolkata Knight Riders had not retained Gautam Gambhir and had come to the auction table looking for a captain. They ended up buying 17 players in the auction and now let's have a look at three captaincy options for the side.

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#3) Vinay Kumar

Vinay Kumar has been playing the IPL since its very first edition. He was first picked up by RCB where he continued till 2011. He played for the Kochi Tuskers in 2011 and then for KKR in 2014 before being traded to Mumbai Indians in 2015.

The Karnataka pacer has scalped 103 wickets in 103 IPL matches at an average of 28 and a strike rate of 20.

The pacer has captaincy experience as well as he has been the skipper of Belagavi Panthers and Hubli Tigers in Karnataka Premier League. He has an extremely impressive record as the Karnataka captain as well and has led the team to consecutive Ranji Trophy titles in 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.

The biggest disadvantage of having Vinay Kumar as the captain is his form. He may not be getting a place in the playing XI in all the 14 matches and this could destabilise the team if he is dropped in the middle of the tournament.

#2) Piyush Chawla

Chawla's experience could come in handy if he is chosen to be the captain

Piyush Chawla played the first six seasons of IPL with Kings XI Punjab from 2008-2013. He was later picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2014 auction and has now been retained using the Right To Match option.

The leg-spinner has an impressive record in IPL, picking up 126 wickets in 129 matches at an average of 25 and an economy rate of 7.6.

Chawla made his debut for the Indian side in 2006 and has the experience of playing at the highest level for the past 12 years. He could prove to be a useful addition to the inexperienced side and carry the team with his experience.

The problem with giving him KKR's captaincy would be that they already have two top quality spin bowlers in Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav and a room for a third spinner doesn't exist when playing in Eden Gardens.

He also doesn't have any previous captaincy experience which could prove to be his Achilles heel in pressure situations.

#1) Sunil Narine

Narine could prove to be the best replacement for Gambhir

Sunil Narine played his first season in IPL with the Kolkata Knight Riders and has consistently played for them since. The fact that he was retained by the side once in 2014 and again in 2018 signifies the value he adds to the team.

The Trinidadian has a splendid record in IPL as he has scalped 95 wickets in 82 matches at a brilliant average of 21 and an extraordinary economy rate of 6.3. He has been extremely close to getting the Orange cap on three occasions and recently has also started batting at the top of the order to add more value to the team.

Narine is one of the seniormost members of the Kolkata side having played for them since 2012. He understands the team and its requirements much better than others. He has a great rapport with the team management and this could come in handy as KKR would be playing with a completely new side this year.

The unorthodox spinner, however, doesn't have any prior captaincy experience which could be a disadvantage but his understanding of the team culture can help him overcome that problem.