IPL 2022: List of players retained by Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) didn’t have much going in their favour after Gautam Gambhir left them ahead of the 2018 Indian Premier League edition. Dinesh Karthik took over as the skipper of the two-time IPL champions back in 2018, but he succumbed to the pressure as KKR failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2019 and 2020. Subsequently, Karthik relinquished captaincy midway through 2020.

Eoin Morgan took over as the captain from Karthik, but he couldn’t make an impact either. Moreover, the England skipper’s form with the bat also turned out to be a major cause of concern for the Men in Gold and Purple. Morgan’s form with the willow remained problematic even in 2021 and KKR strained to find their feet when the first leg of the tournament took place in India.

But the second leg of the IPL 2021 took place in the United Arab Emirates, the rub of the green started going in the Knights’ favour. They went on a winning-spree and qualified for the final. But the Knights failed to cross the finishing hurdle as the Chennai Super Kings defeated them in Dubai. However, KKR conjured praises from the netizens after making a stupendous comeback.

Which players did KKR retain ahead of the mega auction?

Ahead of the retentions for the 2022 edition, the Knights had quite a few players to choose from. Although their skipper Morgan hasn’t been in great rhythm with the bat, he has been more than effective as a skipper. Andre Russell has been a fulcrum for them for the last few seasons, albeit his recent form hasn’t been all that great. Sunil Narine has been plying his trade for them for some time.

Moreover, the pace duo of Lockie Ferguson and Pat Cummins have also done their bit. In fact, Cummins has been an effective lower-order batter as well. Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer are also future prospects irrespective of the IPL teams they play for now and going into the future.

In the end, the Knights have gone for Narine, Russell, Iyer and their mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy. The Tamil Nadu-born Chakravarthy has been a revelation for them over the last two seasons. However, they didn’t retain Morgan after bagging him back in the auction for the 2020 season.

Kolkata Knight Rider’s Retention List: 

Retention 1: Andre Russell (Salary 12 INR Crores)

Retention 2: Varun Chakravarthy (Salary 8 INR Crores)

Retention 3: Venkatesh Iyer (Salary INR 8 Crores)

Retention 4: Sunil Narine (Salary INR 6 Crores)

Purse Deducted: INR 42 Crores

Purse Left: INR 48 crores