4 Ex-KKR players who could return to the franchise for IPL 2019

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have always been one of the most consistent teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Especially since 2011, i.e. the start of the fourth edition of the IPL, they’ve been incredibly consistent. Barring 2013 (they finished seventh) and 2015 (they finished fifth and missed out on a playoff spot by a whisker), they have qualified for the playoffs every season.

A lot of players have come and gone. In the last 11 years, there have been three mega auctions due to which a lot of players have had to bid farewell to the Kolkata franchise. However, with the auction for the 12th edition of the IPL less than a month away, let’s look at some former KKR players who could make a return to the franchise in 2019.

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#4 Brendon McCullum

No one can forget Brendon McCullum’s 158 in the opening game of the first season of the IPL. That innings set the tone for this cash-rich league, and it hasn’t looked back since.

McCullum has been a critical figure in the IPL in the last few years and has been pretty consistent. In fact, between 2014 and 2017, the former New Zealand skipper scored more than 300 in four consecutive seasons. In those four years, he played a couple of seasons for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and a couple of seasons for Gujarat Lions (GL). His best years came at CSK as he amassed more than 400 runs in both seasons (2014 and 2015).

He was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 2018 auctions, but poor form meant he played only 6 games through the season. However, the Bangalore franchise have let go of the Kiwi opener. Hence, with 5 foreign slots available KKR could well buy him from the auction and we could see McCullum turn out in purple again. McCullum played 5 out of the first 6 seasons of the IPL for KKR (represented Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011).

#3 Jaydev Unadkat

Jaydev Unadkat was one of the biggest attractions in last year’s auction. He was bought for a staggering amount of INR 11.5 crore by Rajasthan Royals which made him the most expensive Indian in the auction last year.

Before the 2017 season, the Saurashtra pacer had played for three teams (KKR, RCB and DD) across 6 seasons. However, he picked up just 32 wickets in the 35 games he played in 6 years. But the 2017 season was a breakthrough one for him as he picked up 24 wickets in 12 games and helped Rising Pune Supergiant to qualify for the final.

Unadkat played for KKR for three years (2010 to 2012) but featured in only 12 games across those three seasons. He picked up 10 wickets in those 12 games he represented KKR. With no left-armers in the squad and no experienced seamer in the retained list, the 27-year-old left-arm pacer may well return to his first IPL team.

#2 Manoj Tiwary

Manoj Tiwary is one of the few batsmen who has batted in all positions from 1 to 7 in the batting order. The Bengal batsman has played for four teams so far in his IPL career but he had his best season at Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) in 2017, when the Steve Smith-led team reached the final. In that season, he scored 324 runs at an average of 32.4 and a strike-rate of 137.29. He donned the role of a finisher really well and was a reliable player down the order for RPS.

Last year, the Bengal batsman was bought by Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) for INR 1 crore. However, he played just 5 games in the entire season, scoring 47 runs at an average of 15.67 and a strike-rate of 106.82.

He played for KKR in the first 6 seasons but was pretty inconsistent. In 54 games he played for KKR, he scored 1002 runs at an average of 29.42. With KKR top heavy, Manoj Tiwary might be a valuable addition to the batting line-up.

#1 Chris Woakes

Chris Woakes is another player that Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have released. After a very good debut season with KKR where he picked up 17 wickets in 13 games in 2017, he was bought by RCB for INR 7.4 crores.

However, the England all-rounder picked up wickets but they came at a cost as his economy was 10.36 in the 5 games he played. He was given the responsibility of batting at 7 as well but he failed there as well. In fact, he scored just 17 runs at an average of 8.50 in 4 innings.

The 29-year-old all-rounder could well be back with his first franchise in the upcoming IPL. With the 12th edition most likely to be held outside India (with South Africa being the likely venue), Woakes might be really handy. Also, KKR have a couple of inexperienced pacers and have released all the overseas pacers. Thus, Woakes might be a good addition.