I would have been very surprised if KKR had let go of Dinesh Karthik: Ajit Agarkar

Former India cricketer Ajit Agarkar has said that it is no surprise that KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders) have retained the core of their squad, including Dinesh Karthik, before the IPL 2021 auction.

Despite failing to qualify for the playoffs in IPL 2020, KKR refrained from making wholesale changes for the upcoming edition of the league. They have released just five players - Tom Banton, Chris Green, Nikhil Naik, M Siddharth and Siddhesh Lad - none of whom were integral parts of their lineup.

Here’s a complete list of players released and retained by Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the 2021 IPL auction 🤩Who do you think KKR should get in the auction? 🤔👇🏻#IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/aIwrccVFFp

— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) January 21, 2021

During a discussion on the Star Sports network, Ajit Agarkar and Scott Styris shared their views on the pre-auction strategies adopted by KKR.

"#KKR 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝘂𝗽 & play the way we know they can." - @scottbstyrisDo you agree with Scotty & @imAagarkar's analysis of the Knights' moves ahead of the #IPLAuction? 🤔#IPL #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/SIaYlo3RTo

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) January 23, 2021

Agarkar backed the Kolkata-based side's decision to retain their core group of players. The former Indian pacer added he would have been surprised if KKR had released Dinesh Karthik, despite the latter relinquishing captaincy mid-season last year.

"I would have been very surprised if Dinesh Karthik was let go. Because he is still performing well, yes there were a few issues last year in terms of captaincy but you still want to keep the core fairly tight and those are experienced good quality T20 players. So, you don't want to make wholesale changes if you don't really need to," said Agarkar

Ajit Agarkar highlighted KKR had not played to their potential in IPL 2020, with star players like Andre Russell having an indifferent season.

"Andre Russell had a very difficult tournament. If it comes back to India, it might be a different tournament. So you have got to look at all those dynamics as well. That's the one team which underachieved. With the kind of match-winners they have, they have got to do a lot better than the kind of season they had," added Agarkar

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"I expect KKR to be in the finals mix again" - Scott Styris

KKR finished at the 5th spot in IPL 2020 [P/C: iplt20.com]

Scott Styris mentioned that KKR head coach Brendon McCullum had already told him that they would not be looking to make too many changes and pointed out they had missed the playoffs by the narrowest of margins.

"He [McCullum] told that all he wanted to do was nip and tuck their squad, which means he was never going to make major changes. Quite rightly he made the point that they were only 10 runs away on the new run rate situation from being in the playoffs. When you think about the lack of performance from some of their biggest match-winners, I don't think they need to make too many changes," said Styris

The former Kiwi all-rounder signed off by stating that KKR possesses a well-rounded squad like the Mumbai Indians and should make the playoffs if they play to their potential.

"They are another squad, a little bit like Mumbai, they just need their players to set up and play the way we all know they can. If they do that, I expect KKR to be in the finals mix again next season, which I thought they should have been last season anyway," concluded Scott Styris

KKR were hampered in IPL 2020 by the lack of form and injuries to some of their key players like Andre Russell and Sunil Narine. The Eoin Morgan-led side would hope to turn things around in IPL 2021, considering the firepower at their disposal.