Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) failed to qualify for the knockout stages for two consecutive seasons with their underwhelming performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 and 2023. In 2023, their captain Shreyas Iyer was unavailable due to his back injury and in his absence, Nitish Rana was given the leadership mantle.
Rana looked decent as a batter but failed to lead the team confidently as a skipper. Out of the 14 games, Knight Riders won six matches and accumulated eight losses. For the upcoming IPL season, KKR’s endeavours will be to break ties with their out-of-form and people who did not meet expectations, and make some fine purchases in the auction to be held in Dubai on December 19.
Here are three players KKR might release ahead of IPL 2024 auction
3. David Wiese
David Wiese (Photo Source : Twitter)
David Wiese has played a lot of franchise cricket around the world and considering his immense experience, the KKR team management reserved his services for the IPL 2023 edition at INR 1 crore. The Namibia player spent the majority of the season on the bench as got only three games.
In those three outings, he scored 21 runs with the bat while as a bowler, he delivered a costly three-over spell in the game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Eden Gardens. Bowling three overs against the Yellow Army, the veteran all-rounder didn’t pick any wickets and leaked 38 runs.
With all-rounders such as Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, and Anukul Roy, the KKR team management can exclude Wiese from their IPL 2024 squad. His recent dismal batting and bowling numbers will also give strength to Knight Riders to part ways with the 38-year-old player.
2. Umesh Yadav
Umesh Yadav against PBKS. (Photo Source: IPL/ BCCI)
IPL 2023 turned out to be the pacer Umesh Yadav’s worst season in his league career. The speedster picked up 136 wickets in his 13-year IPL career but in the previous season, the India stalwart scalped only one wicket for Knight Riders in eight matches at a miserable economy of 9.94.
Umesh was one of the vital pacers in the KKR camp due to his vast experience and unprecedented skills but now, it seems that the two-time IPL champions might not trust the veteran for the 2024 season. In the upcoming days, KKR’s retention list will be pushed through and it’s almost unlikely for Umesh to feature in it.
Back in the IPL 2022 auction, Umesh was picked up at INR 2 crore by Knight Riders and he played his role exceptionally in the league’s 15th season, grabbing 16 wickets in 12 games at a marvellous economy of 7.06. However, the 36-year-old failed to carry his 2022 form and emerged as one of the biggest failures in the KKR side.
1. Lockie Ferguson
Lockie Ferguson of KKR. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)
In November 2022, KKR traded Lockie Ferguson from Gujarat Titans (GT). The Kolkata-based outlet brought the New Zealand paceman to reinforce its fast-bowling unit. However, Knight Riders’ move proved ineffective as the Kiwi stalwart failed to be impactful for his side.
The speedster hit the headlines for bowling the fastest delivery of IPL which clocked 154.1 km/h against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium but his overall bowling numbers were completely disappointing. Playing three games, he got only one wicket at an economy of 12.52.
Ferguson hasn’t looked confident with the ball recently for his national side as well. In five T20Is played in 2023, he has bagged only three wickets at an economy of 10.68. Noting the 32-year-old’s ordinary bowling performances, KKR might not show faith in him to reinforce their pace attack.