The defending Champions from the previous edition of the IPL have been unstoppable performers in the last edition since they won their third IPL title under veteran KKR coach Gautam Gambhir, who was appointed as their head coach for the season.
Gambhir made several storm-breaking changes to the KKR team as he brought in the likes of Australian World Cup-winning bowler Mitchell Starc. Starc was included for a whopping INR 24.75 crore, a record bid in the history of the tournament.
Also, the 2024 season saw Sunil Narine KKR’s MVP for several seasons under Gambhi’s captaincy, who was backed again when the ex-skipper was brought in as their mentor. Sunil Narine promoted the order and scored 450+ runs in the tournament while he also bagged 17 wickets.
Starc too, in the knockout games and in the later phases of the tournament, helped KKR bag their third IPL title with his immense experience. However, this time around they parted ways with former mentor Gambhir, and hence Dwayne Bravo was switched into the role.
Bravo would indicate to strengthen their bowling further, while they might include the likes of former MVPs Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, parting ways with Rinku Singh also didn’t seem very likely a player to be released owing to his great form.
Three possible players who might be targets for KKR in the mega-auction
1. Ishan Kishan: Kishan has been the most desirable wicket-keeping option among Indian players in the IPL. While Kishan is likely to part ways with the Mumbai Indians ahead of the mega-auctions.
The left-handed explosive batter can be a very useful asset to the team since his Indian-capped player role of wk-bat has elevated his status to be a vital inclusion for many teams, one among them being KKR, who are likely not to retain their previous overseas wicketkeepers.
2. Harry Brook: The Kolkata Knight Riders might not be very settled in their middle order, as Shreyas Iyer is likely to be released ahead of the mega-auction. If the middle order is to be secured, they need some likely explosive options.
England’s rising star Harry Brook has already been the most explosive star in the game, as the batter is often known to have the ability to clear the fence. Brook has a maiden T20 hundred in the IPL as well as internationally, while the batter’s red-hot form can be of use to the defending champions.
3. Tilak Varma: With the Mumbai Indians seemingly looking forward to retaining their big four, the likes of Tilak Varma as well as Ishan Kishan are about to be released for the mega-auction. RCB, who would also be in the quest for a middle-order Indian star, can look to include Tilak in the RCB 11.
