IPL 2021: Kolkata Knight Riders hire England analyst Nathan Leamon as strategic consultant

Ahead of IPL 2021, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have hired England’s white-ball analyst Nathan Leamon as their strategic consultant.

Nathan Leamon will be involved in the franchise’s auction planning and work alongside their current performance analyst AR Srikkanth, according to ESPNCricinfo.

Leamon has been involved with England since 2009 and has worked closely with their limited-overs skipper, Eoin Morgan, who will also be leading KKR in the upcoming season.

Leamon will be taking a leave of absence from the ECB during the tournament. The English board considers it a valuable experience for the analyst ahead of the T20 World Cup in India later this year.

He has previously worked with Multan Sultan in the Pakistan Super League 2020.

Click here to see IPL 2021 KKR retained players.

Kolkata Knight Riders looking to bounce back from poor IPL campaign

KKR haven’t qualified for the IPL playoffs since 2018, a trend they will be eyeing to change with Nathan Leamon on board.

The Brendon McCullum-coached franchise finished fifth in IPL 2020. It also saw Dinesh Karthik step down as captain midway through the campaign, making way for Eoin Morgan to lead.

Ahead of the IPL auctions on February 18, KKR have released Tom Banton, Chris Green, Nikhil Naik, Siddharth M and Siddhesh Lad. The two-time IPL champions have eight slots available, including two for overseas players.