IPL 2018 Auction: What team combinations to expect

Kolkata Knight Riders

KKR will want to form a strong squad for the challenging season

Players retained - Sunil Narine, Andre Russell

Right to match cards available : 3

KKR has been one of the smartest teams in terms of buying players at the auction. They have always made bargain buys and have utilised their money better than the other teams.

They do their homework coming into the auction and put their money on utility players. Their retention choices were a little surprising as they picked Andre Russell ahead of Manish Pandey and Kuldeep Yadav, both of whom have been regulars in the national side. But in the process they have given themselves more choices to pick from.

It is almost certain that they will use two of their RTM cards for Manish Pandey and Kuldeep Yadav. The third RTM card has a lot of contenders. A very straightforward choice is their current captain and one of the most successful players in IPL history, Gautam Gambhir. If they don't retain him, they might lose some of their fan following because Gambhir is highly rated by fans across the country, and loyalty still remains a major factor when it comes to cricket in India.

Another thing that goes in Gambhir's favour is his leadership skills. He has been highly successful as a captain since he joined the franchise. The other option that they have is Robin Uthappa who has been highly successful playing at the top order over the years, but his recent form has been a little patchy owing to which it is unlikely that they will go for him.

Prediction for RTM cards - Manish Pandey, Kuldeep Yadav, Gautam Gambhir.