IPL 2022: 3 benched KKR players who deserve a chance in the playing XI

 3. Anukul Roy

Anukul Roy is a talented 23-year-old all-rounder from Jharkhand who has represented India in the 2018 U19 Cricket World Cup and made the headlines for becoming the joint highest wicket-taker in that U19 World Cup. He is nicknamed, “Samastipir’s Ravindra Jadeja” as he resembles his batting style and bowls slow left-arm orthodox. Anukul has performed decently in his short T20 career, amassing 304 runs in 24 innings.

He has been exceptional with the ball, picking up 19 wickets in 31 games at an economy of 7.09 runs per over. He was picked by Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2018 and was with them for four seasons. During his time, Anukul played only a single game taking one wicket. However, he is an economical bowler and can fill the long-awaited void that was created by Shakib-al-Hasan’s exclusion. He can play an important role lower down the batting line-up.

If he plays, he can be utilized as a bowling asset alongside Sunil Narine and keep the opposition quieter in the middle phase of the innings. The all-around abilities of Venkatesh Iyer are not helping KKR to fruition. There is a strong possibility of pitches helping the spinners in the latter half of the tournament and this situation might be the best to induct Anukul Roy into the playing 11 for the upcoming matches.