IPL 2023: "Kolkata Will Focus On Just Filling The Remaining Slots With The INR 7 Crores That They Have Remaining" - Aakash Chopra

The mini-auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 edition will be held on December 23 in Kochi. Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra feels that the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) may not go after big names in this year’s auction as they have less money to splash. KKR finished as runner-up in 2021 but did not qualify for the playoffs in 2022.

The Kolkata Knight Riders are one of the top teams in the league, having won two titles under Gautam Gambhir’s captaincy in 2012 and 2014. The former champions will have the smallest purse of Rs 7.05 crore, and they have 11 slots to fill, including three foreign players. They don’t have the luxury of signing world-class all-rounders like Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, or Cameron Green.

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KKR Can Afford To Be Part Of Any Bidding War – Aakash Chopra

In a video on his YouTube channel, Akash Chopra stated that the Kolkata Knight Riders will focus on filling the remaining slots with the remaining Rs 7 crore and that they can’t afford to be involved in any bidding war in the 2023 auction.

“If I read out the 14 names that are in their squad, you will say that their XI looks ready already. That’s exactly the case as Kolkata will focus on just filling the remaining slots with the INR 7 crores that they have remaining. I don’t think they can afford to be a part of any bidding war.”

KKR did have quite a busy trade window in which they brought in several players. Shreyas Iyer’s team acquired Lockie Ferguson and Rahmanullah Gurbaz from the Gujarat Titans. They also traded in Shardul Thakur from the Delhi Capitals, with Aman Khan going the other way.

KKR Will Need Extra Option In The Middle-Order – Aakash Chopra

The Kolkata Knight Riders have retained a strong batting core from last season. Akash Chopra feels that the Knight Riders lack lower middle-order options and need to strengthen this area in the IPL 2023 auction.

“As far as batting is concerned, the first line of defense seems fine with Gurbaz, the two Iyers, and Nitish Rana. However, they will need an extra option in the middle-order, apart from Rinku Singh. They need depth at the No.6 position, assuming Russell will bat at No.5.”

Kolkata Knight Riders squad

Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Anukul Roy, Rinku Singh, Shardul Thakur

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Virat Kohli | Rohit Sharma | Rishabh Pant | KL Rahul | Suryakumar Yadav | Sanju Samson | Shreyas Iyer | Yuzvendra Chahal | Jasprit Bumrah