Former Kolkata Knight Riders player Aakash Chopra recently gave his views on the current pace attack of the Kolkata-based franchise. KKR have enough depth in their bowling department for IPL 2022. However, as per Chopra, the team does not have a reliable death bowler.
Ahead of the IPL 2022 Mega Auction, the Kolkata Knight Riders retained the duo of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy in their spin-bowling attack. They also retained pace-bowling all-rounders Andre Russell and Venkatesh Iyer. At the mega auction, they re-signed their former players Umesh Yadav, Shivam Mavi and Pat Cummins.
However, Cummins will be unavailable for the first few matches in IPL 2022 because of the Australian cricket team’s international series against the Pakistan cricket team. In his absence, KKR will need someone who can step up and deliver the goods in the slog overs, especially in the batting-friendly conditions.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra analyzed the pace-bowling department of the Kolkata-based franchise and said that only Shivam Mavi and Umesh Yadav seem to be the two fast bowlers who can bowl in the slog overs when Cummins is unavailable.
Aakash Chopra feels neither Shivam Mavi nor Umesh Yadav is a gun death bowler
Commenting further, Aakash Chopra added that neither Shivam Mavi nor Umesh Yadav can trouble the opposition batters much in the final overs. Here’s what he had to say:
“They will make Shivam Mavi do that but is he your gun death bowler – no. They will get Umesh Yadav to do that, is he your gun death bowler – no, don’t agree with me, ask MS Dhoni, remember that over.”
The over that Dhoni is referring to is the last over of a match between the Chennai Super Kings and the Royal Challengers Bangalore, where Dhoni almost pulled off an improbable run-chase. RCB escaped with a one-run win in that game.
