IPL 2023: 5 Players KKR might trade in trading window

Kolkata Knight Riders walked into the 2022 season of the Indian Premier League under the new leadership of Shreyas Iyer and would have hoped to bag the IPL crown for the third time. But, they failed to put on a string of victories and finished at the seventh position with six wins in 14 games. The Kolkata franchise have appointed Chandrakant Pandit as their new head coach after Brendon McCullum parted ways with the side. With a different coach at the helm, one could see tactical changes in team for the next seasons. With the 2023 season’s trading window expected to open in November or December, the two-time IPL champions could release certain players who do not fit into their scheme of things going forward. Let us look at players KKR might trade in the forthcoming trading window 1. Abhijeet Tomar Abhijeet Tomar caught a lot of eyeballs when he scored a blistering knock of 104 runs on the opening day of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22 against Punjab. He was simply outstanding throughout the 50-overs tournament amassing 333 runs in six games for Rajasthan. Tomar provided solidity with the bat at the top of the order for his domestic side and the Kolkata franchise roped in the 27-year-old at the Mega Auction 2022 to strengthen their batting lineup. However, Tomar was benched for the majority of the season and was only given a chance in KKR’s last match of the competition where he could only score four runs. KKR struggled for an ideal opening combination and tried seven batters at the top with Tomar being the last inclusion on the list. The Rajasthan batter was pretty low in the pecking order and his release in the trading window could be on the cards. 2. Aman Khan Aman Khan is among the most exciting prospects in the Mumbai circuit. The 24-year-old is a ferocious striker of the cricket ball and can bowl medium pace. A seam bowling all-rounder is a rare breed in India and Kolkata Knight Riders decided to invest in the youngster for the 2022 season. However, the Mumbai player could not get many opportunities to showcase skills at the lucrative T20 tournament. He played a lone game for Shreyas Iyer & Co. and did not have much impact on the game. Aman was slotted in at number nine and could only manage five runs. Also, he conceded 13 runs in the single over he bowled. The young all-rounder was dropped after just one game where he was not given enough chances to impress. It indicates that Aman has not been able to fit in KKR’s scheme of things and the think tank might decide to part ways with the Mumbai player in the forthcoming trading window. 3. Shivam Mavi KKR picked Shivam Mavi at the IPL Auction 2022 for a whopping sum of INR 7.25 crore. The 23-year-old had shown a lot of promise in the past two seasons for the Kolkata franchise taking a total of 20 scalps in 17 matches and KKR would have hoped the youngster to deliver the goods in the 15th edition of the tournament too. However, Mavi was not able to repay the faith and had a pretty poor campaign. He played six games and could only manage five wickets leaking runs at an alarming rate of 10.32. The Kolkata franchise sidelined the Uttar Pradesh pacer after his dismal outings. KKR might look to trade the speedster in the upcoming trading window and free up a hefty amount which can be used to fill up the gaps in the squad. Mavi has the ability to swing the ball at express pace and other franchises can look to add him to their arsenal. 4. Aaron Finch KKR roped in Aaron Finch to bolster their batting lineup when Alex Hales withdrew from the IPL 2022 due to bio-bubble fatigue. The 35-year-old has been among the top-opening batters in white-ball cricket and the Kolkata franchise entrusted the veteran player to provide them with brisk starts. However, Finch could only manage 86 runs in five matches, and his struggles against the swinging new ball were quite evident. He was dropped after his scratchy outings and was not given another run. Further, the Australian opener has been in midst of a lean patch in the international circuit but he came up with some substantial innings against India in T20Is. The Victoria-born has even hung his boots in the ODI format in midst of the horror show with the bat. Finch has been nowhere close to his best and with Alex Hales expected to be available for the next season, it does not seem KKR will retain the Australian opener for the next season. 5. Mohammad Nabi Mohammad Nabi has been one of the most sought-after players in the T20 circuit. He has shown his class in T20 leagues around the world and has been a game-changer with the bat and bowl. The 37-year-old has amassed 5186 runs in 352 T20 games at a strike rate of 137.74 and has also taken a staggering 321 wickets so far. KKR acquired the services of the Afghanistan cricketer or the 2022 season to add depth to their squad. Nabi provides balance to the side with his all-round prowess but given the composition of the side, he was not drafted into the playing XI for even a single game. KKR had top all-rounders in Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Pat Cummins. With the trio, a regular feature in most of the games, Nabi’s chance could not come. KKR will likely stick with the same structure and which means the Afghanistan legend might not be a valuable addition going ahead. Thus, KKR might look to release him in the forthcoming window and free up an overseas slot.

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IPL 2023: 5 Players KKR might trade in trading window

Kolkata Knight Riders had a poor campaign in IPL 2022 and finished at the seventh position with six wins in 14 games.

3. Shivam Mavi

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