"It was disappointing to lose Shubman Gill" - KKR head coach Brendon McCullum ahead of IPL 2022 auction 

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have parted ways with several prominent names from their squad ahead of the upcoming mega-auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2022).

Head coach Brendon McCullum recently revealed that it was important for KKR to plan accordingly as they are bound to lose several players in the shake-up. The New Zealander's made these remarks while speaking in a recent live session on KKR's social media handles.

McCullum pointed out that it was disappointing to release a talented player like Shubman Gill from their squad. He emphasized that the team can fill this gap through proper planning with the auction coming up. Brendon McCullum said:

"You need to plan as you're going to lose a lot of players. It was disappointing to lose Shubman Gill. But that's the way life is sometimes and we will be well prepared for the upcoming auction."

Gill will not go under the hammer at this year's auction as he has been roped in by the new Ahmedabad franchise for the latest edition.

The Kolkata-based franchise has retained three all-rounders in Sunil Narine, Andre Russell and Venkatesh Iyer along with mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy. McCullum spoke about the impact these players have made while playing in the cash-rich league in the past. He added:

"Sunil Narine and Andre Russell have been proven campaigners for a decade. We have all seen what Varun Chakravarthy is capable of in the last two seasons. Venkatesh Iyer was probably the story of the second half of IPL 2021."

The much-awaited IPL 2022 mega-auction is scheduled to take place next month in Bangalore. Along with filling up their squad with top performers, KKR will also be searching for a player who can lead the side in the upcoming season of the T20 tournament.

"Pat Cummins was a pretty good buy" - Brendon McCullum

KKR signed star Australian pacer Pat Cummins for a whopping INR 15.50 crores during the previous auction. McCullum reckons that the speedster was a really good pick and he repaid the faith shown in him by contributing in all three aspects of the game.

The cricketer-turned-coach added that the team management is always prepared to go after a player like Cummins as he has the ability to improve the balance of the team. He added:

"I think Pat Cummins was a pretty good buy. While some would say he did not perform as he should have, I disagree. He was brilliant across disciplines without statistically being a really high achiever. You are prepared to go hard for guys like him."

The Aussie campaigner took nine wickets from seven games in IPL 2021 and had an economy rate of 8.83. It is worth mentioning that the right-hander slammed a stunning half-century in the edition and had a healthy batting average of 31.00.