Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders (Credits: IPL)

Kolkata Knight Riders have roped in England’s white-ball analyst Nathan Leamon as strategic consultant ahead of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. KKR who finished 5th in the points table last season with seven wins and seven losses will be hoping to change their fortunes this time. The two times champions last won an IPL trophy 7 years ago under Gautam Gambhir in 2014.

KKR appointed Eoin Morgan as the captain during the midway of the tournament last year after Dinesh Karthik stepped out of the captaincy. Morgan has a close relationship with Nathan Leamon back in England and KKR will be benefited from hiring Leamon as a strategic consultant. Leamon has been working with England since 2009 and he was a vital part of England’s WorldCup win in 2019.

Kolkata Knight Riders, KKR
KKR [Photo-IPL]

Leamon Crucial For England’s Success In India

England will be heading to India later this year in October for the T20 world cup and Leamon’s role as an analyst will be critical to their nation’s success. Nathan Leamon’s two-month IPL experience with the KKR team along with captain Eoin Morgan will be very handy while assessing the conditions in India ahead of the T20 World Cup.

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Leamon has previously worked with Multan Sultans in Pakistan Super League and now he will be working alongside AR Srikkanth, KKR’s current performance analyst.

In December 2020, Morgan has defended Nathan Leamon after England was seen using a system of coded signals from the dressing room to the pitch during their T20 series in South Africa. Leamon will be key to KKR’s auction planning and he will be involved now after he takes a leave of absence from the England and Wales Cricket Board until the IPL 2021 gets over.

nathan leamon
Nathan Leamon [image credits: ESPN Cricinfo]

KKR Releases Tom Banton Ahead Of Auction

KKR has released six players including Tom Banton ahead of the IPL auction which takes place on February 18 in Chennai. KKR has eight slots available including two overseas slots which they will have to choose wisely. They will also be planning for a backup all-rounder for Andre Russell who has been associated with a lot of injuries previously and also wasn’t anywhere near to his 2019 IPL form in the last season.

Dawid Malan
Dawid Malan. (Credits: Twitter)

KKR will be looking to go for Dawid Malan in the auction to pair up with Shubman Gill for the opening slot.