IPL Auction 2023: 3 Australian Players That Kolkata Knight Riders Can Target

IPL Auction 2023: 3 Australian Players That Kolkata Knight Riders Can Target.  Kolkata Knight Riders started well in IPL 2022 but later lost their way. It was expected considering the gaps in the squad. With a new coach at the helm, the franchise would look to start afresh in IPL 2023.

Changing the captain didn’t bring KKR any luck as Shreyas Iyer’s side finished in the bottom half of the table. KKR had done poorly at last year’s auction and so their results weren’t surprising. They need to do better at this year’s IPL auction 2023.

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The likes of Pat Cummins, Sam Billings, Aman Khan, Shivam Mavi, Mohammad Nabi, Chamika Karunaratne, Aaron Finch, Alex Hales, Abhijeet Tomar, Ajinkya Rahane, Ashok Sharma, Baba Indrajith, Pratham Singh, Ramesh Kumar, Rasikh Salam, and Sheldon Jackson were released by the franchise ahead of IPL auction 2023.

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KKR traded New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson and Afghanistan wicket-keeper batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz from Gujarat Titans (GT) ahead of the IPL 2023 mini-auction next month. KKR added another big name to their squad in India allrounder Shardul Thakur who leaves Delhi Capitals to join the two-time champions in an all-cash deal.

Sam Billings has pulled out of IPL 2023, where he was expected to be a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders squad, saying that his focus is on the longer format with Kent, his county.

Two-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were looking to release Pat Cummins ahead of the IPL auction 2023. But before they could have pronounced their decision, the Australian Test & ODI captain informed KKR that he is not looking to return for IPL 2023. KKR will add 7.25 Cr in their player purse with Pat Cummins released from the squad.

Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Anukul Roy, and Rinku Singh were retained by KKR before IPL auction 2023.

As many as 991 players, including 277 overseas stars, have registered for the IPL 2023 mini-auction, which will be held in Kochi on December 23. Australian players dominate the list of 991 registered players as 57 have signed up for the mini-auction from the country.

Sean Abbott, Riley Meredith, Jhye Richardson, Adam Zampa (INR 1.5 Crores), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Chris Lynn (INR 2 Crores), Moises Henriques, Andrew Tye (INR 1 Crore) are some of the prominent Australian names to have registered themselves for IPL Auction 2023 and have put themselves in the highest base price bracket.

The likes of Wesley Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Cameron Boyce, Hilton Cartwright, Ben Cutting, Ben Dwarshuis, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Kuhnemann, Ben Mcdermott, Joel Paris, Joshua Phillipe, Daniel Sams, Gurinder Sandhu, D Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Ashton Turner, Chris Green, Joshua Brown, and Tanveer Sangha are some of the less prominent names registered for IPL Auction 2023.

A few foreign players decided not to play in the Indian Premier League 2023 to focus on National cricket.  Australian Players Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith, and Aaron Finch are on this list.

IPL Auction 2023: 3 Australian Players That Kolkata Knight Riders Can Target

Ben Cutting

Ben Cutting is an Australian all-rounder who may be targeted by KKR in the IPL auction 2023. Ben Cutting can change the complexion of the game with his all-round abilities. As a batsman, he can hit the ball a mile while batting down the order and his bowling adds more strength to the attack.  He was a part of the Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals setups but made his impact for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016.

Ahead of the 2018 season, Mumbai Indians signed him up. Ben Cutting was picked by the Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the 2021 season but didn’t get a game. However, this time KKR might pick him up again as they would have to fill the overseas spots in the lowest remaining purse money.

Ben Cutting has featured in 21 IPL games amassing 238 runs and picking 10 scalps. His last IPL match was in 2019.

Daniel Sams

Daniel Sams is an Australian pace all-rounder who may be targeted by KKR in the IPL auction 2023. KKR might pick him up as they would have to fill the overseas spots in the lowest remaining purse money among all the franchises. Daniel Sams has picked 14 scalps in 16 IPL games playing for Mumbai Indians (IPL 2022), Delhi Capitals (IPL 2020), and Royal Challengers Bangalore (IPL 2021).

Moises Henriques

Moises Henriques is another Australian all-rounder who may be targeted by KKR in the IPL auction 2023 as they would have to fill the overseas spots in the lowest remaining purse money among all the franchises.

The Portugal-born Australian allrounder made his IPL debut way back in 2009 when he played for the Kolkata Knight Riders. He later went on to play for Delhi in 2010, MI in 2011, and RCB in 2013. It was the year 2014 when he made consistent appearances after he was picked by David Warner-led SRH.

Moises Henriques played an impactful role for the Sunrisers in their 2016 winning campaign. The allrounder was snapped by Punjab Kings in the 2021 IPL auction for INR 4.2 Cr. He has scored exactly 1000 runs in 62 IPL games averaging 27.78 besides picking 42 scalps averaging 30.69.

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