IPL 2022 Mega Auction: 4 Players That Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Might Retain

IPL 2021, which was halted midway in May due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will continue to thrill cricket fans with the remaining matches in September-October later this year. Along with IPL 2021, IPL 2022 is also going to be an exciting tournament due to the addition of two new teams and a mega auction set to take place ahead of the season. As a result, many players will be transferred to new franchises and the current squads of franchises will witness a big change.

The IPL 2022 mega auctions will also allow franchisees to retain few players in their squads. According to reports, each franchise will be permitted to retain 4 players in the squad, out of which there can be either 1 or 2 foreign players and the rest should be domestic. This will be a great opportunity for the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise to pick new players, as their current team observed a very poor show in the 1^st half of IPL 2021.

The Eoin Morgan-led side won only 2 matches out of 7 and held the second last spot in the points table with 2 points in their kitty. KKR franchise will aim to pick some new players in the IPL 2022 mega auction but they might also retain few powerful players from the current squad. Here we talk about 4 players that Kolkata Knight Riders might retain during IPL 2022 mega auction.

IPL 2022 Mega Auction: 4 Players That Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Might Retain

Nitish Rana

Nitish Rana is the first player that Kolkata Knight Riders might retain in IPL 2022 mega auction. The left-handed batsman has executed a consistent batting show for the franchise during the last few seasons, smashing more than 300 runs in each IPL 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 seasons.

In IPL 2021, Rana was the highest run-getter for KKR with 201 runs in 7 matches at an average of 28.71. He also smashed 2 fifties in the tournament with the highest knock being 80 runs. Nitish Rana has been a consistently good performer for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL and hence the franchise might retain him in the 2022 season.

Varun Chakravarthy

Varun Chakravarty joined Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2019 edition and picked 1 wicket in 1 match during the tournament. The leg spinner bagged the limelight in the subsequent season of IPL 2020, scalping 17 wickets in 13 matches at an economy of 6.84.

The right-arm spinner also picked a five-wicket haul in one game. In IPL 2021, Chakravarthy picked 7 wickets in 7 matches at an economy of 7.82. He is one of the emerging spinners in IPL and KKR might look to retain him in the squad during IPL 2022 mega auction.

Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine is the 4^th player whom Kolkata Knight Riders might retain during IPL 2022 mega auction. Kolkata Knight Riders picked the West Indies cricketer in the squad in his debut edition in IPL 2011 and have so far retained him in every season. The right-arm spinner has the ability to disturb batsmen with his spin attack, which results in bagging breakthroughs for the team.

Narine is also a hard-hitting opening batsman and has played an opener for KKR many times. In IPL 2021, Narine picked 3 wickets in 4 matches at an economy of 7. Narine is one the best spinners in international cricket and KKR would not risk releasing him from the squad in the next year’s season.

Andre Russell

Andre Russell is the third player that Kolkata Knight Riders might retain in IPL 2022. The West Indies all-rounder has smashed many quickfire knocks in the past and managed to win matches for the team with his aggressive batting style.

Russell is a powerful hitter who can easily smash the ball out of the boundary. This makes him one of the best death-overs batsmen in the Indian Premier League. In IPL 2021, he picked a five-wicket haul in the match against Mumbai Indians, accounting for 7 wickets in total. He also scored 163 runs in 7 innings with a strike rate of 155+.