IPL 2020 Auction: 3 areas of concern for KKR and who they should target

The Kolkata Knight Riders stole the spotlight with the release of three high profile names in Robin Uthappa, Chris Lynn and Piyush Chawla ahead of the IPL 2020 player auctions but will certainly find themselves in a comfortable position with a purse of ₹35.65 Crore left to spend and 11 slots to fill.

Under captain Dinesh Karthik, KKR finished 5th with 6 wins from 14 matches and just missed out on a spot in the knockouts stages last season but have retained some key players in Andre Russell, Nitish Rana among other big names for IPL 2020.

KKR traded in Siddhesh Lad from the Mumbai Indians during the trading window, and while he adds depth to the middle order, the Knight Riders look to have their pace bowling resources in good shape with the retention of Lockie Ferguson, Harry Gurney and the young Indian duo of Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi.

While the KKR think-tank does have a good amount of money to spend, they will certainly need to fill in a few gaps in the squad. In this article, we try to look at the key areas they will be targetting and the potential players for those positions.

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#3 Opening batsman / Specialist middle-order batsman

Colin Munro

With the exit of Chris Lynn and Robin Uthappa, the KKR top-order looks a bit thin, with only Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana notable names, apart from Sunil Narine's role to bring about quick runs in the powerplay overs.

One must not forget that Narine was not at his absolute best last season, prompting the KKR management to push Gill at the top and handing Narine a position in the lower order. To ensure that the team does not fall short of momentum, they might want to invest in a quality opening batsman or a specialist middle-order batsman and try the Narine-Gill partnership at the top.

Colin Munro could be a name in contention, with the southpaw having turned out for the Trinbago Knight Riders franchise in the Caribbean Premier League. While one might not want to rule out Lynn's return to the franchise, he could be on a lot of the teams' probables list, which makes him an expensive choice.

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West Indies' young sensation Brandon King could be a good pick and his equation with compatriot Sunil Narine could be a good motive for the Knight Riders to hand the CPL 2019's highest run-getter a maiden IPL contract.

As for the middle order batsman, experience could be a key factor that prompts KKR to sign either of David Miller or Eoin Morgan.

#2 Backup big-hitting all-rounders

Will Brathwaite earn his spot back in the KKR squad?

In skipper Dinesh Karthik and burly Jamaican Andre Russell, KKR have two of the best finishers in the game, but with Russell quite injury-prone, the team management might want to sign a capable all-rounder who can fill in Russell's spot in case of any injury concerns.

While finding a like-for-like replacement for Russell is close to improbable, there are quite a few all-rounders in the auction pool capable of producing match-winning efforts with bat and ball.

Experienced stars such as Moises Henriques and Daniel Christian could add value with their skill, while James Neesham, who has proved his credentials over the past years could also be a prime name in contention for the all-rounders' spot.

KKR could also look to re-sign Carlos Brathwaite if he comes at a cheap price since he does offer quite a lot with the willow in hand, while Sri Lankan star Thisara Perera could be a dark horse in KKR's plans of landing a quality seam bowling all-rounder.

#1 Backup spin bowlers

Hayden Walsh Jr.

Despite off-loading Piyush Chawla, KKR have the services of Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav for the upcoming season, but with both the spinners going for plenty in the previous edition of the IPL, the Knight Riders might want to sign a backup spinner.

Kuldeep picked up just 4 wickets from 9 matches last season while Narine managed to scalp 10 wickets in 12 matches, and the biggest talking point was the inability of either of these two bowlers to make a telling impact consistently.

With four overseas slots left to fill, KKR could target either of Hayden Walsh Jr. or Adam Zampa from the auctions to add might to their spin contingent, while Chris Green's ability to deliver economical spells and produce a few big hits could also come into consideration.

Afghanistan's Qais Ahmad could also be a name to watch out for, with the young leggie spinning a web around the batsmen in the T10 League and also making an impression in the Big Bash League.