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Ahead of the 2020 IPL auction Kolkata Knight Riders have released a total of 11 players - seven domestic and four overseas - from their squad. It follows then that the Knight Riders have plenty of work to do at the auction.
The team has an amount of Rs. 35.65 crore in its kitty now, which is the second-highest purse value after Kings XI Punjab's Rs. 42.70 crore. Thus, KKR will have better bargaining power than most of the teams during the auction.
The franchise could even secure some expensive players at the auction. As KKR have released two overseas opening batsmen in Chris Lynn and Joe Denly, they would be looking to rope in skillful overseas openers.
Lynn was a vital member of KKR throughout his time with them. The Australian opener regularly delivered for the team, giving them strong starts at the top of the order. By releasing Lynn, KKR have signaled that they would be on the lookout for a player with similar skills to open the batting.
Also see – BBL points table
Here, we look at five overseas openers that would be on KKR's radar during the auction.
#5 Lendl Simmons
Lendl Simmons is a bit of an IPL veteran with 1079 runs in 29 matches. The former Mumbai Indians opening batsman also has an IPL century to his name, which he scored back in 2014 against Kings XI Punjab. However, he hasn't played in the league since his departure from the Mumbai team.
During the two previous IPL auctions Simmons failed to find a buyer, which is the reason why he disappeared from the scene. However, there is a chance of the Kolkata team selecting Simmons in the 2020 auction.
Simmons had an outstanding stint in the Caribbean Premier League 2019 with the Trinbago Knight Riders, a team owned by the KKR franchise. The West Indies batsman was TKR's top run-getter with 430 runs in 11 innings.
Even though he is an aging player, Simmons could be on KKR's radar due to his impressive contributions for TKR in CPL 2019. As a former two-time IPL champion with Mumbai Indians, Simmons' experience would be invaluable for the Kolkata-based franchise.
#4 Brandon King
KKR's presence in the CPL in the form of TKR makes it likely that they would target the leading run-scorer of CPL 2019, Brandon King.
The young Caribbean opener scored 496 runs in 12 matches at an average of 55.11 for the Guyana Amazon Warriors. He also scored a century (132 runs from 72 balls) in that tournament.
If Kolkata obtain King's services, he could be used as a regular opener and as a backup wicketkeeper, considering the team has also released Robin Uthappa along with Lynn and Denly.
#3 Dawid Malan
Dawid Malan is one of the most experienced players to have never featured in the IPL. However, at the upcoming auction, a team like Kolkata could try to rope in Malan considering his recent form in both domestic and international T20s.
In the 2019 T20 Blast, Malan was the third highest run-scorer with 490 runs in 14 matches, and his highest individual score was 117. Besides, in the 2019 England tour of New Zealand, Malan notched up the quickest T20I century by an English batsman (from just 48 balls).
#2 Colin Munro
Although Delhi Capitals released Colin Munro, the Knight Riders could be interested in the player because of their understanding of his game. Since 2016, Munro has been a headliner for KKR's Trinbago team. Notably, in the 2018 season, Munro was their leading run-scorer (567).
The left-hander has scored more than 1500 runs in the four years of his association with the Trinbago team. The Knight Riders management could well decide to test their luck with Munro in the IPL too.
#1 Aaron Finch
Aaron Finch is the first player in IPL history to have played for seven different teams, which shows how much the franchises value him. Such an impressive track record suggests that Finch has the potential to get numerous bids in the 2020 auction.
Even KKR would be interested in the explosive Australian opener, considering he had a fruitful 2019 World Cup where he scored 507 runs in 10 innings and took his team to the semi-finals. If the need arises, Finch could even step in and captain the Knight Riders team.
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