KKR sign Azhar Mahmood and Johan Botha as replacements

Johan Botha captains Adelaide Strikes in the Big Bash League

Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders have named all-rounders Azhar Mahmood and Johan Botha as replacements for James Neesham and Chris Lynn, both of whom will be missing the eighth season of the IPL, scheduled to start on April 8, due to injuries. While a hamstring tear has sidelined Lynn for 10 weeks, Neesham hasn’t yet completely recovered from an unnamed injury. Though raw, Lynn and Neesham, both 24 years old, are among the finest talents in world cricket now.

Botha drafted in to fill Shakib void

The Knight Riders will also be missing out on the services of Bangladesh spin bowling all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan for a majority of the IPL, as the Tigers host Pakistan from April 17 to May 10, which is where KKR’s chief executive Venky Mysore believes Botha could come in handy being a like-for-like replacement.

He said: "He is the Shakib type of player. Whenever Shakib is unavailable Botha fits in with similar skills. He will play as many games as possible before and after the Pakistan tour. BCB has been most cooperative with us and keeping mind the Pakistan schedule he will be allowed to play to the extent possible."

The duo adds experience to the team

Botha was Rajasthan Royals’ go-to player when they were captained by Shane Warne, before he moved to Delhi Daredevils in 2013. After a dip in performance, he went out of favour among the Indian franchises and wasn’t picked in the 2014 and 2015 main auctions. The 32-year-old will be looking to make this opportunity count.

Pace bowling all-rounder Mahmood would bring a wealth of experience to the Kolkata-based unit; the 40-year-old has scored 3,922 runs and taken 241 wickets in the 213 T20s he has played so far. He fared exceedingly well for Kings XI Punjab in 2012 and 2013 editions, scoring 382 runs and picking up 29 wickets. However, it remains to be seen if his age will have an effect on his abilities.