IPL 2019: KKR rope in Australian paceman as Anrich Nortje’s replacement

Prior to the start of the 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the two-time champions of the prestigious trophy were encountered with a few injury blows, especially in the fast bowling department, which was the case even in the previous season of the T20 extravaganza. Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi and Anrich Nortje got ruled out of the tournament.

However, the KKR team management called upon Sandeep Warrier from Kerala and KC Cariappa from Karnataka as two of their replacements of Mavi and Nagarkoti. In a recent development, it has been learned that the Knight Riders have roped in Nortje’s replacement as well and it’s the 24-year-old speedster in Matt Kelly from Western Australia as per reports in www.cricket.com.au.

Simon Katich, the assistant coach of the Knight Riders was also a fellow Western Australia and he insisted KKR head coach Jacques Kallis to take Kelly after his performance in the 2018-19 edition of the Big Bash League (BBL). For the Perth Scorchers, the speedster picked up 11 wickets in seven matches at an economy rate of 7.74 and was also lauded for his accurate bowling in the death overs.

Praises from Mark Waugh

Kelly also impressed Mark Waugh, who believed that Kelly should undoubtedly be in the mix for the World Cup in England and Wales, starting Thursday, May 30. “I’ve got one bolter from Western Australia, Matt Kelly, who no one’s spoken about,” Waugh was quoted as saying.

“One thing we do lack slightly is a really good death bowler — a guy who can bowl yorkers at the end of the innings and he’s really good at that. He played for the Scorchers and WA. He’s a bit of a smoky but I’d have him the mix,” Waugh, also a former national selector, mentioned.

Apart from his T20 exploits, Kelly also has 54 wickets from 16 matches in the Sheffield Shield, including a six-wicket haul against South Australia last month. As far as KKR is concerned, the Dinesh Karthik-captained team is scheduled to play the Delhi Capitals (DC) tomorrow at the Eden Gardens.

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