IPL 2019: Kolkata Knight Riders share the list of retained and released players

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have won the Indian Premier League (IPL) as many as twice in 2012 and 2014 respectively under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir. However, they couldn’t progress beyond the second qualifier in 2018 after their defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Dinesh Karthik was appointed as the new captain and he didn’t disappoint.

The Knights strained to find their feet in the initial phase of the tournament but gradually gained momentum. They finished third in the points table with eight victories from 14 matches. The Knights beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the first qualifier in Kolkata, but couldn’t progress thereafter. In the meantime, the franchise has shared the list of released and retained players for the next edition.

Five overseas names released

They didn’t have an overly massive squad, yet they decided to let go eight of their players. Among them, the likes of Mitchell Johnson, Javon Searles and Vinay Kumar played a few matches last season. Mitchell Starc, who missed the entire season due to a tibial bone stress fracture, hasn’t been persisted with. Kamlesh Nagarkoti missed the erstwhile season, but the franchise has instilled faith in the youngster.

Experienced cricketers Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn and Andre Russell remain to be the fulcrum of the team. Prasidh Krishna was roped in place of Nagarkoti and he has been retained as well. The likes of Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana, who impressed last time, were also retained. The Indian spin contingent in Piyush Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav will also play for the Knights next season.

Here’s the list of retained players

Dinesh Karthik, Robin Uthappa, Chris Lynn, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Prasidh Krishna

Here’s a list of released players

Mitchell Starc, Tom Curran, Mitchell Johnson, Cameron Delport, Javon Searles, Ishank Jaggi, Apoorv Wankhede, Vinay Kumar

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