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Two-time title winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have released Australia captain Pat Cummins ahead of the IPL 2023 auction. He was inconsistent last season - except for a few moments of brilliance here and there. He failed to create any major impact on a consistent basis.
KKR has retained only 14 players. Their purse is also the lowest for any IPL team - ₹7.05 crores. However, they have to fill up another 11 slots, which includes three overseas player slots. They need to manage their finances optimally if they want to build a strong roster for the tournament.
Let's take a look at the three players who can replace Cummins for KKR.
#1 Jason Holder
Former West Indies skipper Jason Holder has improved a lot in T20 cricket over the past couple of years. Apart from being an economical bowler who can pick up wickets at crucial times, he is also very handy with the bat.
However, Holder did not have a great season last year with the Lucknow Super Giants. He took 14 wickets in 12 matches, although the economy rate was above 9 runs per over. He also failed to make any significant impact with the bat.
KKR's four overseas players in the starting XI will most likely be the following - Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Lockie Ferguson. However, considering his West Indies teammate Russell's recent injury concerns, Holder might end up being a decent replacement pick.
#2 Daniel Sams
Australian left-arm pacer Daniel Sams made his IPL debut in 2020 for the Delhi Capitals. In the following seasons, he played for RCB and MI. However, he was never retained by any of the three teams he has played for till now in his IPL career.
Daniel Sams had a mixed season last year with the Mumbai Indians. He took 13 wickets in 11 matches at an economy rate of 8.81. His performances over the course of the tournament were very sporadic.
As discussed above, KKR is more or less sorted with their first-choice overseas players. Hence, it is highly unlikely that Sams will get to start in the playing Xi straight away if he is signed by Kolkata. However, he is a good option to have on the bench - he has played over 100 T20s in his career already.
#3 James Neesham
New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham was released by the Rajasthan Royals. The Jaipur-based team signed him for ₹1.5 crores in the mega auction. However, he only played two games last season for the Royals.
He has a fair bit of international experience in T20 cricket - 688 runs in 48 innings at a strike rate of nearly 160. Some of his best performances for the country have come in clutch situations - the T20 World Cup semi-final in 2021 being the most prominent one. Thus, Neesham might prove to be a good-quality backup player for KKR.
