IPL 2021: 5 Players Who Can Be The Top Scorers For Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

Kolkata Knight Riders will step in IPL 2021 with an aim to lift their third trophy in the tournament. The franchisee won IPL titles in 2012 and 2014. Last season, they lost out to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the race for playoffs. Although both RCB and KKR had equal points on the points table, RCB qualified for the playoffs with a better net run rate. In IPL 2021 auction, Kolkata Knight Riders had an available salary cap of Rs. 10.35 crore.  The franchisee bought 8 players during the mini-auction.

KKR bought their former teammate Shakib-Al-Hasan for Rs. 3.2 crore. KKR also bought Harbhajan Singh and Ben Cutting for Rs. 2 crore and Rs. 75 lakh respectively. Karun Nair and Pawan Negi were bought for Rs. 50 lakh each. Venkatesh Iyer, Sheldon Jackson, and Vaibhav Arora were bought at Rs. 20 lakh each. Ahead of the auction, Kolkata Knight Riders released 6 players out of their squad while retaining 17 players. With 25 players in the squad, Kolkata Knight Riders are set to showcase their magic in IPL 2021. KKR has few brilliant batsmen in the team. Here we look at 5 players who can be top scorers for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2021.

IPL 2021: 5 Players Who Can Be The Top Scorer For Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill was the leading run-scorer for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2020. The right-handed batsman scored 440 runs in 14 games along with 3 fifties. After his amazing batting at the opening spot, Shubman Gill will again bat as an opener for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2021. He can again pile up maximum runs for KKR like the last season.

Eoin Morgan

After Shubman Gill, Eoin Morgan was the leading run-scorer for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2020. The left-handed batsman scored 418 runs in 14 innings with one fifty. Morgan led Kolkata Knight Riders for some games after Dinesh Karthik shifted the skipper’s responsibility on his shoulders midway during the tournament. The English cricketer Eoin Morgan is an experienced batsman and he can turn up to be the leading run-scorer for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2021.

Andre Russell

Andre Russell plays at lower down the order and faces fewer deliveries as compared to top-order batsmen. However, the strike rate at which Russell plays can make him the leading run-scorer for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2021. Overall, Andre Russell has a strike rate of 182.33 in IPL after playing 74 matches and ranks at the top.

In IPL 2019, the West Indies all-rounder Russell was the leading run-scorer for Kolkata Knight Riders with 510 runs in 13 innings. With the highest knock of 80*, he smashed 4 half-centuries in the tournament. In IPL 2021, Andre Russell is a crucial gemstone for Kolkata Knight Riders. Batting at such a high strike rate, Russell can become the leading run-scorer for KKR in IPL 2021.

Nitish Rana

Over time, Nitish Rana has emerged as a consistent batsman for Kolkata Knight Riders. At the one-down position, Nitish Rana is a crucial batsman for KKR. In IPL 2021, he accumulated 352 runs in 14 innings with the highest knock of 87 runs. He also hit three half-centuries in the tournament. Rana was the third most run-scorer for KKR in IPL 2020. In IPL 2019 too, he was the third most run-scorer for KKR with 344 runs in 11 innings. Nitish Rana is another batsman who can emerge as the leading run-scorer for KKR in IPL 2021.

Rahul Tripathi

Last season in IPL 2020, Rahul Tripathi was another player who emerged as a promising batsman for Kolkata Knight Riders. In 11 innings, he piled up 230 runs with 1 fifty in IPL 2020. He also hit a knock of 81 runs. Rahul Tripathi played only 11 matches in IPL 2020 and if Kolkata Knight Riders play him in every game in IPL 2021, he might turn out to be the leading run-scorer for Kolkata Knight Riders.