The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Might Target Three Players in the Auction

In the last IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders got off to a good start, but they eventually lost control. With a new coach, the team would try to start over. They must be active during the IPL 2023 auction in order to improve their team for the next season.

The KKR team finished in the bottom half of the standings, so changing the captain didn’t help. Kolkata Knight Riders had a terrible season in IPL 2022. They only won six of their 14 games, which put them in seventh place overall.

Before the IPL 2023 mini-auction next month, the Gujarat Titans (GT) traded Rahmanullah Gurbaz of Afghanistan and Lockie Ferguson of New Zealand to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Shardul Thakur, an Indian all-rounder, comes to KKR from Delhi Capitals in an all-cash deal. He is another important addition to their team.

Since KKR did badly at the auction the year before, their results weren’t a surprise. They need to do better at this year’s auction if they want to get back into the IPL. Kolkata Knight Riders, with INR 7.05 crore, has the fewest points left.

So, each time they make a trade during the IPL auction, they have to think about how much money they have. Know the three players that KKR might be interested in at the IPL 2023 auction.

• Will Smeed

Will Smeed, a young offensive opener, has been playing in the same style as the latest crop of English players, who only play in shorter formats, such as Alex Hales and Ben Stokes. The 21-year-old has a strike rate of 141 and has scored 886 runs in 35 T20 matches.

The first player to score a century in a 100-point game has the potential to terminate the game early in a powerplay. Despite his inexperience, he compensates with his steadiness and powerful strokeplay.

• Nicholas Pooran

Prior to the auction, KKR released Sheldon Jackson, Baba Indrajith, and Sam Billings, which presents a chance for Pooran, who can bolster the middle order and keep wickets. The lone wicketkeeper for KKR is Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who was acquired from the Gujarat Titans in a deal (GT).

Even though the purchase of Pooran by the Kolkata-based franchise will greatly reduce a deficit, it won’t be as easy for them because they have been given the lowest purse value for the future auction, at 7.05 crore.

• Paul Stirling

Ireland opener Paul Stirling’s name has been mentioned frequently in the T20 circuit around the world due to his outstanding T20 performance in recent years; however, he has yet to secure an IPL contract.

Since the start of the season, Paul Stirling has scored the fifth-most T20I runs in the world, but the IPL franchises have chosen to ignore the tenacious Ireland opener. KKR may choose to play the Irish opener, who has extensive experience from 318 T20 games and 121 T20 Internationals, knowing that KKR enjoys making decisions that are unpopular with other franchises.