3 Players Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Might Retain For IPL 2022

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) could not get going in this IPL edition despite having all the stars and they will have to make some key decisions ahead of the mega auction in IPL 2022. Eoin Morgan hasn’t satisfied the expectations on him after handing over the captaincy in the last season and KKR is more likely to move on from him if the mega auction takes place.

Kolkata Knight Riders retained Sunil Narine and Andre Russell ahead of the previous mega auction and they picked up Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla, and Robin Uthappa through RTM cards. The team has completely changed over the years and it will be interesting to see how KKR goes about the retention. Here are 3 players Kolkata Knight Riders might retain for IPL 2022.

3 Players Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Might Retain:

Shubman Gill:

Shubman Gill was expected to have a big season this time but it did not happen and he has been going on the downward spiral after starting really well in the test series against Australia. He struggled in the home series against England and it has continued into the IPL 2021 too despite getting an extended run.

There is no doubt about the talent he possesses but he needs to work on his shot selection and getting his strike rate up in the powerplay.

He plays some incredible shots but gets dismissed soon after a good start. But, being touted as the future of Indian cricket, the youngster might still get the nod and be the first player to be retained by the franchise.

Dinesh Karthik:

Dinesh Karthik has had a roller coaster ride so far in the last three years having two excellent seasons in IPL 2018 and 2019 where he was the leader of the team. He struggled to get going in the 2020 IPL and decided to step down from captaincy and hand over the reins of Morgan.

He had some good outings this season and played with a lot of freedom. He looked to have found the rhythm going again which is very crucial to the plans of KKR. Dinesh Karthik has been really good as a leader and is one of the best finishers in the T20s. With no other batsman in the Kolkata Knight Riders lineup having much international experience, Dinesh Karthik is expected to be retained.

Andre Russell:

Andre Russell is one of the most destructive batsmen going around in the world right now and he has been the trump card for Kolkata Knight Riders for a long time now. He has been winning games on his own for the franchise and when he is around, no target looks big for him.

He hits the ball with tremendous power and he showed glimpses of his hitting power in few games this season. He still has a lot to offer for the franchise in terms of bowling too and can be a good death over bowler if gets his round-the-wicket yorkers right. The whole team revolves around him and is a certainty to be retained if the mega auction takes place.