"If Shardul Thakur doesn't play all cricket that India plays, he will be a much better IPL bowler" - Sanjay Manjrekar on KKR's recruit

Sanjay Manjrekar feels the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will get the best out of Shardul Thakur as a bowler if the seam-bowling all-rounder doesn't play too often for India.

The Kolkata-based franchise traded Thakur from the Delhi Capitals ahead of the IPL 2023 auction. They also traded Lockie Ferguson and Rahmanullah Gurbaz from the Gujarat Titans.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Manjrekar was asked about his views on KKR's retention strategy. He responded:

"With spin, they are fairly well settled. I think Shardul Thakur will fill more the role of Pat Cummins because there is the batting element of Shardul Thakur. I have a theory, if Shardul Thakur doesn't play all cricket that India plays, he will be a much better IPL bowler. If that happens, KKR get more out of Shardul Thakur."

The former Indian cricketer feels Gurbaz can bring the explosive element to the two-time champions' top order. He elaborated:

"There is firepower in the middle. Shreyas Iyer will bat at No. 4 or No. 3. There is Andre Russell. Nitish Rana is a class player. They will sorely miss Rahul Tripathi, which happened. So I think No. 1 and No. 2 - Rahmanullah Gurbaz, if he shows the kind of form he showed in the Asia Cup, he becomes a dangerous player."

The Kolkata Knight Riders struggled with their opening combination in IPL 2022. The trio of Venkatesh Iyer, Aaron Finch and Ajinkya Rahane failed to deliver the goods at the top of the order last season.

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"It's a wildcard that they have played" - Sanjay Manjrekar on Chandrakant Pandit as KKR head coach

Chandrakant Pandit has replaced Brendon McCullum as the Kolkata Knight Riders' head coach.

Manjrekar added that he will keenly watch Chandrakant Pandit's approach as the franchise's head coach. He explained:

"In the end, my big interesting point is that I am looking forward to Chandrakant Pandit. What a choice, it's a wildcard that they have played. I don't know how much power he will have to carry on with the way he does at the Ranji Trophy level. So that's going to be a very, very intriguing factor in KKR's performance."

Tom Moody was asked about Pat Cummins making himself unavailable for KKR. He replied:

"I think he has cited the busy calendar that Australia faces in 2023. He didn't want to let himself down or let the franchise down. So I think he has done the right thing in showing his hand. Lockie Ferguson - that is an excellent replacement."

The Kolkata Knight Riders have just 14 players in their squad and a remaining purse of only ₹7.05 crore, the least among all 10 franchises. They have an uphill task ahead of them to build a strong squad with sufficient backup players.