Kolkata Knight Riders’ decision to release Shubman Gill and captain Eoin Morgan while keeping back Andre Russell has been one of the talking points a day after the retention list for the existing eight franchises became official.
Besides Russell, KKR decided to retain Varun Chakravarthy, Venkatesh Iyer and Sunil Narine for the next three seasons.
“We have got a long-term relationship with Sunil and Andre. The loyalty and the continued belief in players… is something we are really proud of as a franchise... over the years it’s the pick of the same players that filters throughout the line-up,” was how coach Brendon McCullum justified the selections in a media release.
If Mumbai Indians have set the standards by organising chartered flights for their players and offering several other benefits, KKR haven’t been left behind.
They stood behind Narine since the all-rounder was first reported for his bowling action twice during the now-defunct Champions League T20 in 2014. KKR got Leicester-based bio-mechanist Carl Crowe to help Narine remodel his action. He worked for close to a month and the Trinidadian bounced back.
A few years ago, they even arranged for Russell to undergo a two-month fitness stint with Dallas Cowboys, the American football team.
The bigger question is can Russell deliver now with the same intensity and consistency? The Jamaican has been troubled by knee and hamstring injuries in the last two seasons. At 33, he is struggling to keep pace with the format and hasn’t lived up to his explosive match-winner’s tag.
In 10 matches in the last IPL, Russell scored 183 runs at a strike-rate of 152.50 and took 11 wickets at an economy of 9.89. The T20 World Cup that followed was worse: In five matches for the West Indies, he made 25 runs and picked up just three wickets.
Will he be able to replicate the form of the past? The KKR management has shown immense faith by retaining him as their No.1 player. The last season has shown that it’s time to move forward with youngsters like Venkatesh Iyer and Varun Chakravarthy. Iyer’s rise to stardom in a span of two months has even earned him the India cap and he is being seen as a replacement for Hardik Pandya.
Besides his flamboyant batting, Narine retains some element of mystery in his bowling and had shown the capability to turn a match on its head last season.
KKR are known to nurture youngsters and the decision to let go Shubman lacks direction. The talented opener was someone they could have built an association with in the long run. They would certainly look to have him in their ranks at the mega-auction table in an effort to build a team for the future. Shubman is also being billed as a future leader.
In releasing Morgan, KKR have surrendered an opportunity to have an inspirational captain in the side. The World Cup-winning England skipper also forms a lethal combination with McCullum as was evident in the UAE.
It will be in right earnest if KKR decide to bring back Morgan to provide stability and continuity. McCullum knows that his presence provides the impetus in the middle-order.
While KKR have quality spinners in Narine and Chakravarthy, the pace department needs to be well-equipped considering they will play at Eden Gardens. Re-imposing faith in Pat Cummins or Mumbai Indians reject Trent Boult could provide the vital spark in their set-up. Harshal Patel, last season’s No.1 wicket-taker, will also be on their radar.
There will be a lot of holes to plug at the mega-auction and the KKR think-tank will have their hands full with the remaining Rs 48 crore at their disposal.
