IPL 2019: 3 Players who could be surplus at KKR

Kolkata Knight Riders had a decent time in the 2019 IPL Auction as they managed to pull off some remarkable signings while making them stronger for the upcoming edition of IPL. Although Knights made a few lapses here and there, they were pretty considerable in choosing their players at the auction.

Having retained their core group (13 players), Kolkata went into the auction in a bid to fill their voids for the upcoming edition of IPL. Knights were very niche in buying them the players at the 2019 IPL Auction. KKR smartly opted in for the players who will be available for the whole of the tournament.

In total, Kolkata bought eight players at the auction while spending INR 9.15 Crore from their purse of INR 15.2 Crore with Carlos Brathwaite being the most expensive buy at INR 5 Crore.

However, in the process, Kolkata also acquired a few players whom they might not require in the upcoming edition of IPL. Thus, in this article, we will have a look at three players who could be surplus at KKR in IPL 2019.

KKR's final squad after IPL 2019 Auction: Dinesh Karthik (C), Robin Uthappa, Chris Lynn, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shubman Gill, Carlos Brathwaite, Lockie Ferguson, Anrich Nortje, Nikhil Naik, Harry Gurney, Yarra Prithviraj, Joe Denly, Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi, Nitish Rana, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Rinku Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Srikanth Mundhe and Piyush Chawla.

---

#1 Nikhil Naik

Nikhil Naik might not just fit into the combinations of KKR at IPL 2019

Nikhil Naik, a wicket-keeper batsman from Maharashtra, who once was a part of KXIP in 2016, was acquired by Knights at 2019 IPL Auction for INR 20 Lacs.

In his only two outings in IPL, Naik managed to score only 23 runs at a sorry strike-rate of 74.19. Unfortunately after his dismal performance, Nikhil was left out by KXIP. Howbeit, he saw his IPL fortunes turning as Nikhil managed to get a team at IPL 2019 Auction in the name of KKR.

Nonetheless, Naik's addition to KKR's squad might prove to be futile as him being a wicket-keeper Nikhil will be warming the bench for most of the IPL 2019. Not only does KKR have Dinesh Karthik but they also possess Robin Uthappa who will be donning the gloves in the absence of Karthik - if ever he gets injured.

Thus, Naik's signing might just come as a groundless thing as Knights will fail more often than not in giving him a game in IPL 2019.

#2 Shrikant Mundhe

Shrikant Mundhe might warm the bench for the whole of IPL 2019

A bowling all-rounder from Nanded in Maharashtra, Shrikant Mundhe represented Pune Warriors India in IPL 2011 where he played only a single game. In his only IPL game, Mundhe bowled just one over and a scalped a wicket as well. After that, he was never seen in IPL and went into the sidelines. However, he managed to strike an INR 20 Lac deal with KKR at IPL 2019 Auction.

Although he has been an improved player since 2011, Shrikant isn't envisioned to get a game in the upcoming edition of IPL. The reason being he is a bowling all-rounder - an entity in abundance with KKR.

With the likes of Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Carlos Brathwaite, and Nitish Rana (who also chips in with some overs), Mundhe's presence in KKR's squad seems a case of overabundance.

#3 Rinku Singh

Rinku Singh was definitely a surplus at IPL 2018.

Rinku Singh, the lower middle-order batsman from Uttar Pradesh, saw his IPL fortunes turning bright when KKR acquired him at the 2018 IPL Auction. His signing came on the back of his exceptional performances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2017-18.

Howbeit, he failed to justify his signing in the extravagant league as he played a total of four games in IPL 2018. From those four games, Singh only managed to score 29 runs which ruled his exclusion from the substantial part of IPL. Nonetheless, he was retained by KKR for IPL 2019.

This time around too, it is going to be no different for Rinku. The reason being Kolkata has a compact middle-order. They possess the likes of Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik, Nitish Rana and Shubman Gill in their middle-order which more or less rules out Rinku's chances of getting a place in the playing XI.