The Kolkata Knight Riders had a decent campaign in TATA IPL 2022. The team failed to cover the big starts to get to the big victories. They failed to capitalize on the match-changing moments and this resulted in their failure to win the games. The Kolkata Knight Riders have had great all-rounders over the years. They have had the presence of Shakib Al-Hasan and Ryan Ten Doeschate earlier and now it is the presence of Dre Russ. So, who are the top 3 all-rounders that the Kolkata Knight Riders need to target to have a successful TATA IPL 2023? Who are the players that can fill the big voids in the team? Here is an in-depth look:
1) Carlos Brathwaite can play for the Kolkata Knight Riders in TATA IPL 2023:
Every member of the cricket community knows that Kolkata Knight Riders cannot replace Andre Russell. There is only one Dre Russ in world cricket. The second-best thing that they can do is to get a player similar to Andre Russell if his niggles continue. The fact of the matter is that Andre Russell carries on playing with the injuries and there is a possibility that he might miss out on the business end of the tournament.
Kolkata Knight Riders have previously implemented this strategy. They bought Carlos in 2019 as a replacement for Dre Russ if anything goes wrong. They can make a similar move. What works in the favor of KKR is that Carlos is a big-match player. So, in the games where all the batters are struggling to middle the ball, Carlos can get those big hits. He has led the West Indies team in the past and that improves his portfolio. He has been away from cricket for a while but a true champion always knows how to make a comeback.
A similar lean patch was seen in the career of Kieron Pollard earlier after which he went on to lead the West Indies at the T20 World Cup. So, for the West Indian players that have a lot of muscle and power by their side, there is always an option to make a comeback.
2) Shardul Thakur:
Lord Shardul Thakur can find a way in any team. KKR lacked good pace bowlers to complement Umesh Yadav and Shardul can fill the void. They were dependent on the likes of Shivam Mavi to get the job done, but if they find a way to get Shardul in the mix, he will do two jobs. Shardul can certainly bat at number 7 or 8 in any T20 team. If any manager has concerns regarding his batting, they can watch his innings at the Gabba or the one in England.
Shardul Thakur’s batting is very underrated and it needs to be backed. If a team can give him a well-defined role with the bat, he can do wonders for the team. The team will then have a bank of 4-overs with a good pinch-hitter. Shardul has the knack for picking wickets. He bowls a few overs in the powerplay and a few in the middle overs when the game is boring. If a captain is looking for a wicket-taking option, they can pick Shardul.
Shardul is a daring bowler and does not worry about pitching the ball up. We cannot risk giving him the death overs but he does more than enough in the middle and powerplay overs. He has a good slower-one and a great wide yorker.
3) Venkatesh Iyer will play for Kolkata Knight Riders in TATA IPL 2023:
Rather than looking around, the KKR team needs to effectively use Venkatesh Iyer. The first year of this break-through performer was too good. He was an unexposed commodity and was tonking the bowlers for fun. He belted the likes of Bumrah, Rabada, and even Rashid Khan. His sophomore year, however, was a little tough. The teams saw him struggle a bit against the short ball and capitalized on that.
But the KKR management did not back him in his period of failure. They immediately switched his roles and made him a finisher. That’s not the ideal thing to do with your retained player. He was also dropped later. And at the far end of the tournament, it was Venky who got the runs for them. So, if Venky feels he is mismanaged, he can decide to put his name in the auction. The thing is that KKR management needs to manage the player well as he has a lot to offer. He is a bank of 2 to 3 overs as well.
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To know more go to the official website of KKR.