IPL 2019: Three Players Kolkata Knight Riders Should Release in the Next Season

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) inconsistent run in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) finally came to an end with Mumbai Indians knocking them out with a nine-wicket convincing win at the Wankhede Stadium. The Knight Riders failed to get going with the bat and managed to post only 130 runs which the Mumbai chased down without any hiccups. Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav shared an 88-run stand to clinch the tie.

Dinesh Karthik & Co started the tournament on a high, but their six-match losing streak put them behind in the race of qualification. Although they made a come back with two wins but lost the last game against Mumbai to bow out of the tournament. The inconsistent run has been mainly due to their dependency on Andre Russell – who has been a revelation in this season. The senior cricketers have failed to stand up in crucial situations which have cost them many close matches.

Kolkata Knight Riders will look to revamp their squad ahead of the next season to come back stronger. On that context, let us see three players, whom can Kolkata release in the upcoming season.

ROBIN UTHAPPA

Robin Uthappa has been a critical stakeholder for the Kolkata Knight Riders for quite some time now. He played a crucial role in the title-winning efforts in 2012 and 2014 with run-tallies of 405 and 660 runs in the respective editions. However, the veteran India batsman has been below par in this season.

Uthappa has only managed to score 282 runs from 12 matches at an average of 31.33 – which is quite low as per his standards. Often, the management decided to send him below in the batting order, but Uthappa has struggled to regain his old touch. Also, he hasn’t timed the ball well in this season which is evident from the strike-rate – 115.10.

Meanwhile, with age falling on the wrong side for Uthappa, the Kolkata franchise will look to ponder for different batting options in place of Robin Uthappa ahead of the next season.

PRASIDH KRISHNA

The young fast bowler Prasidh Krishna has a fascinating story to tell. Ahead of the 2018 season, Krishna was a net bowler in the Kolkata Knight Riders camp. Owing to a lot of injuries in 2018, the management decided to rope in the Karnataka pacer, and he responded well. Krishna returned with ten wickets from seven games including a four-wicket haul against Sunrisers Hyderabad which earned him the trust of the Kolkata franchise.

The management decided to retain him for the 2019 IPL; however, Krishna has failed to replicate his efforts this season. He has been more than a failure picking only four wickets from 11 matches and shelling out runs at an economy rate of 9.34.

Although he is young and learning, the franchise will hope to rope in some fresh talent in place of Prasidh Krishna ahead of the next season.

LOCKIE FERGUSON

Known for his race pace, Kolkata Knight Riders roped in the New Zealand speedster to bolster their pace attack. Meanwhile, with many pacers ruled out ahead of the season, Lockie Ferguson had to shoulder the responsibility to lead the bowling unit.

However, the right-arm has failed to live upto the expectation and eventually, the management decided to drop him from the playing XI. Ferguson returned with only two wickets from five matches at an economy rate of over ten which shape up Kolkata’s inconsistent run in the tournament.

Going by his recent performance, it is highly unlikely that the Knight Riders would want to shell out so much money on Ferguson in the upcoming season.

The two-time IPL champions, Kolkata Knight Riders will look to bounce back strong in the 13th season of the IPL.