5 Players Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) should release ahead of IPL 2020 Auction

The way Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) started this season of the IPL, it looked like they would end up earning a top-four spot. However, things went haywire after the first five games and all of KKR’s weaknesses were exposed. They lost six games in a row and they were knocked out at the end of the league stage. However, a couple of back to back wins has given them hope once again. But it doesn’t hide the fact that KKR have relied heavily on a few players to get the job done. Andre Russell has been the biggest factor behind most of KKR’s wins this season. The batting blew hot, blew cold as they were inconsistent and a lot of pressure fell on Russell to bail them out. They were also found out in the pace bowling department. KKR play at the Eden Gardens whose nature has changed to a fast and bouncy track over the last few years. Hence, KKR lacked depth in the pace department as well. Hence, as the 2019 edition is coming to a close, we look at five KKR players who should be released after this season. 1. Robin Uthappa Kolkata Knight Riders’ Robin Uthappa in action. (Photo by IANS) Robin Uthappa has been one of the faces of Kolkata Knight Riders ever since he joined the team in 2014. He won the Orange Cap in his very first season with the team (2014) as they went on to lift the title in that season as well. Since that season, he’s scored at least 350 runs in every season. He was tipped to be one of the crucial members of the side this year as well. However, this season has been different. After a couple of decent scores at the start of the season, he started to fade away. Hence, Uthappa was dropped after the first nine games. Before getting dropped, he had scores of 11, 28, 0 and 9 and only the 11 he scored came while striking over 100. Thus, the Karnataka batsman has slowly started to fade away and looks like he is way past his prime. Moreover, Uthappa likes opening the batting but that cannot happen with Shubman Gill, Chris Lynn, Nitish Rana and Sunil Narine around. Hence, KKR should release Uthappa and try to blood in some fresh talent and bolster the middle-order. 2. Joe Denly Joe Denly. (Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS) This was Joe Denly first-ever IPL stint and all it lasted was one delivery. He played just one game and was dismissed off the very first ball of the match. Denly should’ve got more opportunities but with so many openers lined up in the KKR squad, it’s difficult for him to break into the XI. Joe Denly might be a good all-round cricketer who has done well in domestic cricket and T20 leagues around the world. There’s no doubt about his ability and he is a utility cricketer. However, KKR might need to look beyond Denly and look for an explosive backup opener. Moreover, Denly is not even an automatic replacement. 3. KC Cariappa KC Cariappa. (Photo Source: Twitter) This was KC Cariappa’s second stint with KKR. The first one was back in 2015 when KKR broke the bank (INR 2.4 crores). At that time, he had dominated the Karnataka Premier League (KPL) with his mystery spin. However, his maiden IPL season lasted just one game as he conceded 28 in two overs and was never considered for selection. The 2019 season is no different. He came in midway through and has played just one game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The mystery spinner from Karnataka leaked 34 runs in his two overs before going back to the bench in the next game. Hence, with the likes of Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav and Piyush Chawla, KKR might not need the services of Cariappa. Thus, they should let him go after this season. 4. Lockie Ferguson Lockie Ferguson. (Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS) Lockie Ferguson came down with a lot of promise. He had the ability to hit the bat hard and could trouble the batsmen with his pace. Also, the pitch at the Eden Gardens was going to help his style of bowling. However, as it turned out, he had a terrible season. He has played just five games and has leaked runs at 10.76 runs an over. The Kiwi quick has managed to pick just two wickets in the 17 overs he’s bowled this season. The pitch at the Eden Gardens played into the hands of the batsmen as they took a liking to Ferguson as he had the pace and the ball kept traveling. Hence, he is another player that needs to face the axe after this season. KKR may need to look at other options in the auctions as the likes of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Chris Woakes and others will most likely be back in next year’s auction. 5. Carlos Brathwaite Carlos Brathwaite. (Photo Source: Instagram) Three years back, it was at the Eden Gardens that Carlos Brathwaite made everyone remember his name with those four sixes in the final over to win the World T20 2016 for West Indies. However, in the only two games he played this season (both in Kolkata), he underperformed massively. He could muster a mere 11 runs in two innings. He didn’t get to bowl a lot either. The 30-year-old all-rounder was given the ball only for three overs and he conceded 29 runs (across two matches) and failed to pick up a wicket. Braithwaite was tipped to Russell’s back-up but played a couple of games alongside his countrymate. However, he was nowhere close to his best. Hence, KKR should leave the Windies all-rounder. He hasn’t contributed in any department and his inconsistency over the years also works against him. Get the latest Cricket News and updates from the Indian Premier League, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.

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5 Players Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) should release ahead of IPL 2020 Auction

KKR team management has to take big decisions ahead of next auction.

3. KC Cariappa

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