IPL auction 2020: Three Indian players KKR should target

Kolkata Knight Riders released 11 players from their squad ahead of the IPL 2020 auctions. The 11 released players included 6 Indian and 5 overseas players. Going into the auctions for the next season, KKR will have a budget of ₹35.65 crores to spend on players.

Knight Riders had a very poor IPL 2019. The team finished 5th in the league table and failed to qualify for the play-offs. KKR started the tournament on a very good note after winning 3 out of the 4 opening games. However, the rest of the tournament turned out to be a nightmare for KKR as they managed just 4 wins in the next 10 league games.

Over the years, KKR has had a very strong core of Indian players. Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Yusuf Pathan, Piyush Chawla, and Umesh Yadav were the main pillars of a successful KKR side. However, since the departure of Gautam Gambhir, Kolkata has failed to have a settled core of Indian players. After releasing big Indian players such as Robin Uthappa and Piyush Chawla, KKR will have to do a lot of work in the auctions to replace them wisely. The Knight Riders desperately require some wicket-taking bowlers and quality top and middle-order batsmen. Indian options could be the way to go for the franchise.

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Here are the three Indian players Kolkata Knight Riders should target in the upcoming auctions.

#3 Rahul Tripathi

Rahul Tripathi emerged onto the scene when he scored 391 runs in 14 games for the Rising Pune Supergiants and led them to their first-ever IPL finals. The aggressive opening batsman was Pune's most consistent batsman throughout the season. In the 2018 IPL auctions, Rajasthan bought Rahul Tripathi for a hefty amount of ₹3.40 crores. However, due to the presence of openers Ajinkya Rahane and Jos Buttler in the team, Tripathi failed to get regular chances at the top of the order and was asked to bat in the middle-order. Change in batting position hampered Tripathi's performances as he scored just 226 runs in 12 league games for Rajasthan.

Rahul Tripathi can replace Chris Lynn at the top of the order for the Kolkata Knight Riders. The Maharasthra-born batsman can open the innings with Shubman Gill and provide aggressive starts to the team. At just 26 years of age, Tripathi can be a part of the long-term core of Indian players for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Robin Uthappa has been let go by the franchise after a poor last season.

#2 Jaydev Unadkat

Jaydev Unadkat became one of the most expensive players in the history of the IPL when Rajasthan paid 11.50 crores for his services in the 2018 IPL auctions. Unadkat had his breakthrough season in 2017 when he took 24 wickets in 12 games for the Rising Pune Supergiants. In the 2019 IPL season, Unadkat took 10 wickets in 11 games for the Rajasthan Royals.

KKR will be desperately looking for some wicket-taking options. Unadkat can solve that problem for KKR. At a reasonable price, Unadkat can prove to be a very smart buy for KKR. Since relaying the Eden Gardens pitch in 2016, the new surface assists the seamers much more than the spinners. Unadkat will get a lot of purchase from the pitch. His change of pace and ability to take wickets in the middle overs can prove to be very handy for KKR.

#1 Hanuma Vihari

Hanuma Vihari has recently emerged as one of the finest batsmen in the country. The right-handed batsman played for the Delhi Capitals in the 2019 IPL season. However, Vihari did not get the opportunities he would have hoped for and played just two games in the whole season.

If given a fair run of games, Vihari can prove to be a very good buy for KKR. The Andhra-born batsman has an average of nearly 60 in first-class cricket and his experience can come in very handy for KKR. After the departure of Robin Uthappa and Chris Lynn, Dinesh Karthik and Nitish Rana will likely be pushed to bat up the order. In that case, Vihari can stabilize the middle-order through his experience. The India international has the ability to play the long shots as well as hold one end of the pitch whenever required.

At a decent price, Vihari can be a very good option for KKR to form a solid Indian core for the years to come.