Who is KL Shrijith? 5 interesting facts about wicketkeeper who KKR should target in IPL 2024 Auction

IPL 2024 Auction will happen tomorrow, December 19, in Dubai. Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders are in need of an Indian wicketkeeper batter for the upcoming season. KKR have tried the likes of Sheldon Jackson, Baba Indrajith, and Narayan Jagadeesan in the recent past, but they could not impress much.

A majority of the capped Indian wicketkeeper batters have been retained ahead of the IPL 2024 Auction. Hence, KKR will have to focus more on the uncapped players' category.

One of the most promising talents present in the IPL 2024 Auction pool is KL Shrijith from Karnataka. He is a left-handed wicketkeeper batter, who has performed well in domestic cricket. In this listicle, we will look at the five things that fans should know about the 27-year-old.

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#1 KL Shrijith played his best T20 knock for Karnataka just before IPL 2024 Auction

Shrijith has played 10 T20s in his domestic career so far, aggregating 180 runs at a decent average of 25.71 and a strike rate of 122.44. He recorded his maiden T20 half-century in his last knock against Tripura on October 27, 2023.

Batting at number four, Shrijith smashed a 38-ball 67 to help Karnataka recover from 33/2 and reach 224/7 eventually. His knock consisted of five fours and four sixes.

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#2 KL Shrijith can deal with the pressure of big matches

Apart from representing Karnataka in domestic tournaments, Shrijith also has the experience of playing in the Maharaja T20 Trophy. He turned up for the Hubli Tigers team earlier this year and played a crucial innings of 61 runs from 39 balls in the semifinal against Shivamogga Lions.

Hubli needed 150 to win, but they lost Luvnith Sisodia's wicket in the second over itself. Shrijith came out to bat at number three and stitched up a magnificent 114-run second-wicket stand with Mohammed Taha. While Taha got out after scoring 69 runs, Shrijith remained not out on 61 and guided his team to the final.

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#3 KL Shrijith was the second-highest run-scorer for Hubli Tigers in Maharaja T20 Trophy 2023

Hubli Tigers became the champions of the Maharaja T20 Trophy this year. KL Shrijith played a big role in his team's success by scoring 393 runs in 11 innings. His average in the tournament was 49.20.

Shrijith smacked 33 fours and 14 sixes in his 11 innings. KKR would love to have a player like him in their squad for the IPL 2024.

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#4 Shrijith switched from a right-handed batter to a left-handed batter

In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Shrijith disclosed that he could bat both as a right-hander and left-hander at the start of his career, but he preferred being a left-hander because he achieved more success.

Also, the youngster idolized 2011 World Cup winners Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina while growing up.

"That’s a funny story actually that I could bat both right-handed and left-handed. Initially when I used to play cricket, I didn’t make a lot of runs with batting right-handed. So instead I just switched to batting left-handed and then scored 40-50 runs, so I just stuck to it," Shrijith said.

"Obviously at that point, I was idolizing Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina. I was glad that I continued as a left-handed batter and glad that it worked," he added.

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#5 KL Shrijith has attended trials and camps of multiple IPL teams

Shrijith has been on the radar of multiple IPL franchises. He went for Mumbai Indians' trials and also attended Delhi Capitals' camp. Multiple franchises will likely bid for him in the IPL 2024 Auction.

Kolkata Knight Riders are in need of an Indian wicketkeeper. It will be interesting to see if they can secure Shrijith's services in the IPL 2024 Auction.