3 Indian wicketkeepers KKR can look to sign in IPL 2024 auction ft. KS Bharat

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) releasing their entire frontline pace battery ahead of the IPL 2024 auction has diverted attention from a long-lingering issue in their squad - the lack of a consistent Indian wicketkeeper-batter.

Since Dinesh Karthik left in 2021, KKR have struggled in this department. In 2022, Sam Billings, Sheldon Jackson, and Baba Indrajith juggled the gloves. Last year, the Knight Riders relied on Rahmanullah Gurbaz, N Jagadeesan, and Litton Das behind the stumps.

There's one thing common in these names - none of them was a sure-shot starter. So, in both seasons, KKR had to either use an overseas spot or drop a better Indian batter/all-rounder just to include a 'keeper in the team.

This drastically affected the team balance. To add to the woes, apart from Gurbaz, no other player got regular chances nor they could impress in the limited ones. Gurbaz now is the only available wicketkeeper in the team.

KKR can solve this issue in several ways. They could trust Gurbaz enough to consistently give him the opening spot - bring another, more proven overseas wicketkeeper and make the Afghan a competing backup; or find an experienced Indian gloveman in the auction who's good enough to start most games.

Now there are not many players from the final category available in the auction. But still, having only two overseas wicketkeepers can restrict the team immeasurably. So, no matter what choice KKR makes, they'll have to get an Indian 'keeper, young or experienced, from the IPL 2024 auction.

Below, we have listed three available options they can look to sign.

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#3 Kumar Kushagra

Young 18-year-old wicketkeeper-batter from Jharkhand, Kumar Kushagra has risen through the ranks of age-group cricket. He doesn't have a shining T20 record yet but he scored tons of runs in first-class and List-A cricket in 2023.

A brilliant player of both spin and pace, he generally bats in the middle and lower middle-order and plays the finisher's role for Jharkhand and East Zone - a rare thing for one of the youngest players at this level. He can tonk the ball a long way with mostly conventional shots and is pretty good behind the stumps as well.

After his consistent run of performances in the 2023 Deodhar Trophy earlier this year, Delhi Capitals called him to their short off-season camp. He'll come in Set 8 of the IPL 2024 auction with a base price of ₹20 lakh.

If KKR wants to make Gurbaz their first-choice wicketkeeper or get another overseas gloveman, Kushagra could be a brilliant understudy.

They can groom him and give him a go as a backup in the middle order, especially in home games where the likely low-scoring matches on a probable spin-friendly Eden will suit his game.

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#2 Urvil Patel

Gujarat's 25-year-old wicketkeeper Urvil Patel recently smashed the second-fastest List-A hundred by an Indian off just 41 balls in a Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023 match against Arunachal Pradesh. The knock came only a day after the Gujarat Titans released him from their squad in the lead-up to the IPL 2024 auction.

When the Titans signed him for ₹20 lakh last year, he was mostly an unknown commodity. But since then, he has earned an image of a big-hitting top-order wicketkeeper who can maximize the powerplay. In 41 T20s, he has 847 runs at a strike rate of 155.41 with four half-centuries to his name.

With a bit of polishing, he could be the perfect backup for Gurbaz at KKR. As he'll slot in the top order, he won't disturb KKR's Indian middle-order core. Moreover, unlike the other Indian 'keepers the Knight Riders have tried in the last two years, he won't eat up crucial powerplay deliveries on the days he doesn't perform.

He'll feature in the same set as Kushagra with the same base price of ₹20 lakh.

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#1 KS Bharat

Former Royal Challengers Bangalore man KS Bharat is the only premier Indian wicketkeeper available in the IPL 2024 auction. If things go right, KKR should almost certainly target him when he comes in Set 3 at a ₹50 lakh base price.

The right-handed batter was part of the Titans last year as well but didn't play even one match despite being a ₹1.2 crore signing. He has 199 runs from 10 IPL matches at an average of 28.43 and a strike rate of 122.09. In 2021, he scored a magnificent 78* (52) for RCB which included a last-ball match-winning six.

The best thing about the current India 'A' captain is that he can bat at any position and can shift gears at will. Bharat is vastly experienced in domestic cricket and has always played a bit of a savior's role for Andhra Pradesh. He's not known for his strike rate in T20s but is more than a decent option on spin-friendly tracks.

His remarkable consistency with the bat also means that he'll be in the reckoning for India's Test team for at least a few years to come. Not to forget that after Wriddhiman Saha, Bharat is widely considered the best wicketkeeper in India. For KKR's three-pronged spin attack, they can't ask for anyone better.