IPL 2018: Ideal replacements for the unavailable KKR stars 

With just three weeks to go for the IPL, nothing seems to be going right for the two-time champions, Kolkata Knight Riders. In fact, the situation is getting worse with each passing day as some of their stars players have confirmed their unavailability due to various reasons.

It will be a tactical headache for the KKR management and their new skipper Dinesh Karthik to replace the unavailable players with the right set of players who went unsold during the IPL 2018 auctions in January. They have to get the combinations right to make up for the loss of their star players and to get a balanced squad ahead of the IPL.

Opener Chris Lynn and all-rounder Andre Russell injured themselves while playing for their respective teams in the Pakistan Super League. Then, it was Mitchell Johnson who entered this list after injuring himself at the gym. To add to KKR's woes, their prime spinner Sunil Narine was reported for suspected action during a Pakistan Super League match recently.

Therefore, the Kolkata franchise must find the appropriate replacements for these players to bolster their squad, especially their bowling. Let us now look at the players who can strengthen the KKR squad in the absence of their star players.

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Lendl Simmons

Lendl Simmons

The Trinidadian was signed by the Mumbai Indians as a replacement to the injured Jalaj Saxena in 2014. Since then, he has represented the Mumbai Indians in four seasons (2014-2017) and won titles with them- in 2015 and 2017.

Simmons will be remembered for his heroics against India (82*off 51) in the 2016 ICC T20 World cup semi-finals at the Wankhede stadium, thereby anchoring the Caribbean victory. In29 IPL matches, Simmons has scored 1079 runs at a strike-rate of 126.64 with his highest score being 100* against the Kings XI Punjab in May 2014.

The dashing opener’s game is almost similar to the Aussie Chris Lynn’s style of play, and he might provide the best possible start to the innings at the top. With his vast T20 experience, Simmons will be an ideal replacement for the injured Chris Lynn.

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Moises Henriques

Moises Henriques

The Portugal born Aussie all-rounder has played for five different IPL franchises so far- Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Henriques was a part of the Sunrisers squad that won the title in 2016 under David Warner.

Henriques is an ideal T20 specialist having played for the Sydney Sixers since the beginning of the Big Bash and for several English county teams. He is an experienced campaigner when it comes to the IPL as he has played 57 matches scoring 969 runs at a strike-rate of 128.17.

The Aussie has been equally good in his bowling, as he has 38 wickets to his name. His valuable contributions with the bat in the lower-middle order, as well as his accurate bowling, makes him the ideal candidate to replace the flamboyant Andre Russell.

Ish Sodhi

Ish Sodhi

The Ludhiana born New Zealand cricketer is the current World number bowler in the ICC T20 Rankings for bowlers. The leg-spinner surprised everyone with his astonishing spell of 3/18 in four overs against India during the 2016 T20 World cup.

Sodhi’s rise has been meteoric, and the latest rankings are the true reflections of his talent and hard work. Sodhi, who has never played in the IPL, has represented New Zealand in 26 T20I matches and has 36 wickets at an economy of 7.43.

Sodhi played for the Adelaide Strikers in the 2016-17 Big Bash season. The fact that he went unsold during the IPL 2018 auctions with a base price of Rs.50 lakhs was a big surprise. The Kiwi who plays for the Northern Districts in the domestic circuit will no doubt be an ideal replacement for the Eden Gardens crowd favorite Sunil Narine.

Mitchell McClenaghan

Mitchell McClenaghan

The left-arm fast medium bowler played three seasons for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. The kiwi pacer was an integral part of the Mumbai Indians’ bowling unit, having scalped 54 wickets in 40 matches at an economy of 8.61.

He dismissed batsmen on many occasions with his pace variations and was skipper Rohit’s go-to bowlers in the past three editions. Having won two titles in three years (2015 and 2017), his stint with the Mumbai outfit was an incredible one.

Much to everyone’s surprise, he went unsold in this year’s auctions with a base price of Rs.1 crore. McClenaghan will bolster the Knight Riders bowling attack with his cutters and slow-deliveries and might be an ideal replacement for the injured Mitchell Johnson.