5 players Kolkata Knight Riders might retain for next IPL

So we are almost at end of IPL 10 and we have got the two finalists who will fight it out in the final tomorrow at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad tomorrow. For the 4th time in the season, it will be a Maharashtra derby and Mumbai Indians will look to avenge their triple losses in the competition against Pune. Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders who defeated the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the eliminator bowed out of the tournament after they were beaten quite comprehensively by Mumbai Indians in the Qualifier 2 yesterday.

They were leading the league points table after 9 matches and it was their lacklustre performance in the last 5 matches which didn’t allow them to finish at the top 2 position. There were some exceptional performers for them in the tournament but none bigger than the ploy to go with Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine at the top of the order. The KKR team management will definitely like to retain these two players who proved to be their trump card in the tournament.

There are several players in the team who have been an integral member of the unit for a long time but before the start of the auctions next year they might have an option to retain only 5 players from this year. It will be a tricky decision for the team management and it remains to be seen which players they choose to retain for the 11th edition of the tournament

So here are the 5 players who might be retained by KKR for the 2018 edition

Sunil Narine

If they get a provision of retaining players then Sunil Narine might be the first on the list. He took IPL by storm with the fastest fifty of a mere 15 deliveries against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. The ploy to open with him worked wonders as the southpaw got them off to breezy starts on quite a few occasions.

In the bowling department, Narine has stemmed the run flow in the middle overs and still remains the most economical bowler of the competition. He had a relatively offseason as far as wickets were concerned and finished with an unimpressive average of 41. The offie bagged 10 wickets in 16 games but his economy rate was still below 7.

Chris Lynn

The hard-hitting Aussie announced his arrival in KKR’s very first match and smashed a sensational unbeaten 93 against the Gujarat Lions which set the tone for the rest of the tournament. A shoulder injury in the 2nd match ruled him out for a major part of the tournament but the right-hander smashed a 52 balls 54 in his return match against the Kings XI Punjab.

Though he only played 7 matches in the season, Lynn smashed 295 runs at an impressive average of close to 50 and a staggering strike rate of 180.98. He has been the threat for the oppositions and is likely to be retained for the next year.

Gautam Gambhir (c)

Now how can the KKR team management not retain the man who has been the guiding force for the franchise ever since taking over the reign in 2011. He has been an inspirational captain and his record speaks for itself. He also looked in ominous touch in this season and finished with 498 runs in 16 matches with a mighty impressive average and strike rate.

Even in the eliminator clash when the team was under pressure and tottering at 12/3 it was a captain’s knock by Gambhir which ensured KKR chased the total of 48 down in the final over to reach the Qualifier 2. It was due to his leadership skills that KKR bowled RCB out for only 49 in one of the earlier groups of the tournament.

Robin Uthappa

Robin Uthappa is another impact player in the team and performed very well in the tournament. He was a very important player for KKR all through the season and barring a few matches towards the end of the campaign, he looked in ominous touch all through the tournament. He smashed 388 runs in 14 matches at a staggering strike rate of nearly 160.

The Karnataka lad also did a reasonable job behind the stumps and took some crucial catches. He was executed few stumpings to perfection and created the record for most stumpings during the tournament. His brutal power-hitting abilities will tempt KKR to retain Uthappa. 

Kuldeep Yadav

Though the left-arm chinaman bowler was not included in the playing XI for the last few matches, given his promise, Kuldeep might just be the bowler KKR might be tempted to retain for the next season. Chinaman bowlers are a rarity these days and given his skills Kuldeep might be a pivotal option for KKR in the future years.

He has been a part of the KKR set up for the last 2 3 years but it was the first season where he got enough matches for the franchise. He went for a few runs in a couple of matches but is seriously a prospect for the future. If I was the team owner I would have definitely retained the youngster who happens to be the one and only chinaman bowler in the country.