IPL 2022 Auction: 5 Bengal stars Kolkata Knight Riders must target

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) came close to winning their third Indian Premier League (IPL) title last season.

But a batting collapse after a promising start by their openers Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer meant the Eoin Morgan-led team lost the summit clash against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 27 runs while chasing 193 in Dubai.

The 2012 and 2014 IPL champions have retained four players - Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, Venkatesh Iyer and Sunil Narine - ahead of the upcoming mega auction.

With ₹48 crore remaining in their purse, the Knight Riders will be looking to further bolster their squad by signing top-quality domestic as well as overseas players ahead of IPL 2022.

On that note, let's look at five Bengal stars the Kolkata Knight Riders must target at the IPL 20202 Auction.

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#5 Ishan Porel

Ishan Porel played just one game during his two-year stint with Punjab Kings

One of the members of the Indian Under-19 team which won the 2018 ICC Under-19 World Cup, Ishan Porel shot into the limelight following his fiery spell of 4/17 against arch-rivals Pakistan in the semi-finals.

The tall pacer, who made his first-class (67 wickets) and List A (47 wickets) debuts for Bengal in 2017, has since been a pivotal member of the team's bowling set-up.

The Hooghly-born player picked up six wickets for India A when they played South Africa A in the second unofficial Test at Bloemfontein, just before Team India were scheduled to face the Proteas in 2021-22.

Unfortunately, despite being a part of the Punjab Kings' team during IPL 2020 and 2021, Ishan Porel got only one opportunity to feature in the competition.

The 23-year-old has proved himself at domestic level, and with Kolkata Knight Riders in need of Indian pacers, Ishan, who has a T20 economy of 6.71, might be a valuable long-term investment for the franchise.

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#4 Shahbaz Ahmed

Shahbaz Ahmed is a perfect T20 commodity given his all round credentials

Shahbaz Ahmed was a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad during IPL 2020 and 2021, playing 13 matches in the cash-rich league.

The 27-year-old finished as Bengal's highest run-getter during the 2021-22 Vijay Hazare Trophy, amassing 227 runs, including a century and a half-century, in five innings. He also picked up six wickets in the 50-over domestic tournament at an economy of 4.32.

Meanwhile, Ahmed's most memorable IPL performance came against the Sunrisers Hyderabad last year. On a slow, turning track at Chepauk, he returned with figures of 3/7, thereby helping Virat Kohli's men record a thrilling six-run win.

Given his all-round credentials and domestic as well as IPL experience, Ahmed is the perfect T20 player to add a different dimension to the Kolkata Knight Riders squad if bought at the upcoming auction.

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#3 Wriddhiman Saha

Wriddhiman Saha would love returning to his favourite hunting ground - the Eden Gardens

Age is just a number for Wriddhiman Saha, with the 37-year-old still being as energetic and passionate since making his domestic debut for the Bengal state team back in 2007.

Having been a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders during the first three editions of the IPL, the wicketkeeper-batter would love to return to his favorite hunting ground - the Eden Gardens.

He has always been reliable behind the stumps, be it for Bengal, his IPL franchises or Team India by taking stunning catches and affecting lightning-quick stumpings.

Even at this age, his commitment towards the game is awe-inspiring. A perfect example of that was his recent knock of 61* during the India-New Zealand Test in Kanpur where he came out to bat and put up a gritty display despite having a stiff neck.

With 133 IPL matches to his name, the experienced campaigner still has a few years of cricket left in him. He would be a valuable asset for the Kolkata Knight Riders, given his batting, excellent glovework and leadership qualities.

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#2 Abhimanyu Easwaran

Kolkata Knight Riders might be looking to buy a solid domestic batter like Abhimanyu Easwaran having already released several Indian batters

Given his consistency with the willow, be it on the domestic circuits or for India A, Abhimanyu Easwaran's name has been doing the rounds for quite some time now.

During the recent unofficial Test series against South Africa A, the 26-year-old ended up as India A's second highest run-getter with 205 runs, including a century and a half-century.

The Dehradun-born batter, who has 4,606 first-class and 2,875 List A runs to his name, has amassed three half-centuries and a century in T20s so far. However, he is yet to earn an IPL contract.

But with the Kolkata Knight Riders having released talented domestic batters like Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Rinku Singh and Karun Nair ahead of the auction, the franchise might be tempted to target a proven, quality local player like Abhimanyu Easwaran ahead of IPL 2022.

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#1 Mohammed Shami

Shami began his IPL career with KKR before heading to Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings

The Bengal pacer is one of the vital cogs in the Indian bowling set-up, proving his worth with the ball even during the country's overseas tours.

Mohammed Shami, who was India's highest wicket-taker during their tour of South Africa in 2018, repeated the feat with 14 scalps in the recently concluded Test series against the Proteas.

Having released Indian pacers like Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi, Sandeep Warrier and Kamlesh Nagarkoti, the Kolkata Knight Riders need to bring in a fresh set of domestic fast bowlers who can bolter their pace department.

With Shami all set to go under the hammer at the IPL 2022 Auction, KKR couldn't have asked for a better option, given his immense experience, form, local connection and bowling credentials.

In fact, the 31-year-old who has 79 IPL wickets to his name, began his IPL career with Kolkata Knight Riders before moving to Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings.