With the trade window and the retention date are ending, the teams’ owners have started to prepare for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League(IPL). Every team will be looking to retain the best among the lot and release a few not required. This will help them strengthen their squad and increase their purses before the auction.
Kolkata Knight Riders, who finished fifth last season, will also be eyeing on the same. They have 8.5 Crores in their purse, which will hike up once they release a few players. The management will look to cover up the required bases in the trade window and auctions.
This article features a summarised list of the players KKR might trade in the trade window:
1. Kuldeep Yadav
The chinaman, Kuldeep Yadav, might get traded in the trade window. Kuldeep Yadav has a price tag of 5.8 Crore, something he has failed to justify. He has been below par in the past few seasons.
Since 2019, Kuldeep has picked up only five wickets in 13 innings in the T20 league. The Kanpur-born has a bowling average of 75.6 and a strike rate of 54.0 in this duration. The economy of 8.40 doesn’t help his case either.
Due to his poor performance, KKR might be leaving him. CSK will see this as an opportunity to grab him as they might release Piyush Chawla and Harbhajan Singh. Kuldeep Yadav can be quite effective on the tracks of Chepauk as well.
2. Rahul Tripathi
Rahul Tripathi might be a surprising name in this article. The right-handed batsman did a decent job for KKR last season. The main reason for his inclusion is the problem of plenty in the KKR’s squad.
Many batsmen can open in the Knight Riders’ squad, which doesn’t allow Tripathi to play in his ideal position – opening. In the last season, he opened in three innings only. He managed to score 92 runs at a strike rate of 131.4 with the willow while opening.
Hence, KKR might part ways with him this season. Royal Challengers Bangalore can trade him with Pawan Negi, given the poor form of Kuldeep Yadav and lack of orthodox in the team. Negi can also contribute with the bat if required.
3. Rinku Singh
Rinku Singh is another player that might be traded/released by KKR this season. He has been part of the KKR since 2018, with a price of 80 Lakhs. Rinku has played only eight games for KKR, failing to perform in any of the games.
While playing for KKR, the left-handed batsman has scored only 77 runs in eight games in the IPL. He has a strike rate of 101.3 only, which is quite low for the T20s. Hence, KKR might look beyond Rinku Singh this time around.
It will be an opportunity for Rajasthan Royals to grab him. Rajasthan Royals might release Robin Uthappa this season and will be needing a middle-order batsman. Rinku Singh can be a good option for Rajasthan Royals to fill that void.
4. Sandeep Warrier
The fourth player to get traded in the trade window is Sandeep Warrier. He was bought in as a replacement for 20 Lakhs in the IPL 2019. KKR didn’t show much confidence in him as they gave him only one match last season.
While playing for KKR, Warrier has taken only two wickets in the four matches in the IPL. He has been wicketless in three of the four matches. Hence, KKR might part ways with him this season.
Sunrisers Hyderabad can sign him for the upcoming season, given their need of Indian pacer. Since Siddarth Kaul has not reaped desiring results and Bhuvneshwar Kumar being an injury-prone, SRH would want a pacer to partner Natarajan. He can also be used as a powerplay bowler if required.
5. Chris Green
The fifth player KKR can trade is the all-rounder, Chris Green. He was bought in at a price tag of 20 Lakhs in the auction last year. He got to play one match throughout the IPL 2020.
In the only game he played, Green failed to pick up the wicket and conceded 24 runs off 17 balls. Moreover, he didn’t get to bat in the game, making a debut to forget for Green. Due to the availability of Sunil Narine, Green couldn’t get many matches to showcase his expertise.
Hence, KKR might be tempted to leave Chris Green. It gives SRH a chance to trade him with the 28-years old batsman, Bavanka Sandeep. Sandeep is an attacking middle-order batsman who can hit the ball long, something Kolkata Knight Riders are looking for.
