Two-time Indian Premier League champions Kolkata Knight Riders will look to repeat their impressive performance from IPL 2021 when they entered the final of the tournament in UAE after a gap of six editions. They have named Shreyas Iyer as their captain for IPL 2022. (KKR Schedule | Cricket News)
Ahead of the mega auction, they had retained Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and Venkatesh Iyer, while they splurged a big sum of INR 12.25 crore to pick Shreyas Iyer at the IPL 2022 auction.
Here is the Kolkata Knight Riders squad for IPL 2022:
OVERSEAS
Sunil Narine (Retained, INR 6 crore)
The seasoned West Indian player in IPL is one of the highly rated all-rounders in T20 cricket. Rightly so, as Sunil Narine not only bowls at an economy of below 7 and takes important wickets but he is also an attacking batter who can play really big shots. 5/19 are his best figures, while his top score in IPL is 75.
Andre Russell (Retained, INR 12 crore)
The Caribbean all-rounder is a destructive batter and a very useful bowler. He is a match finisher and is extremely dangerous in slog overs with the bat. His best IPL score is 88, while his best figures are 5/15. Fitness can be his problem.
Mohammad Nabi (INR 1 crore)
The star player from Afghanistan is a bowling all-rounder. His best figures in IPL are 4/11. Meanwhile, Mohammad Nabi’s batting strike rate in the tournament is over 150.
Chamika Karunaratne (INR 50 lakh)
The 25-year-old Sri Lankan is a right-arm medium-fast bowler. Chamika has not played in IPL before. His best figures in T20 are 4/28, while an unbeaten 75 is his best score as batter.
Sam Billings (INR 2 crore)
The England national is a wicketkeeper-batsman, but he is also a good fielder. He is a right-handed batter with a top score of 56 in IPL.
Tim Southee (INR 1.5 crore)
He is an experienced right-arm medium-fast bowler from New Zealand who mixes his pace really well. His best figures in IPL are 3/24. Besides, Tim Southee can also play useful cameos lower down the order.
Aaron Finch (INR 1.5 crore)
Australian opener Aaron Finch has joined the KKR squad as the replacement of Alex Hales who has has pulled out of IPL 2022 due to "bubble fatigue". Finch, who had gone unsold at IPL auction 2022, has 88 as his highest score in the tournament.
CAPPED INDIAN PLAYERS
Shreyas Iyer (INR 12.25 crore)
He is a proven leader and a classical batter who plays really big shots, especially against spinners. Shreyas Iyer had led Delhi Capitals to IPL playoffs in 2019 and final in 2020. His best score in the tournament is 96.
Varun Chakravarthy (Retained, INR 8 crore)
The architect-turned-cricketer is a mystery leg-spinner from Tamil Nadu. From being a wicketkeeper to medium-pacer to spinner, Varun Chakravarthy’s story is as exciting as his leg spin. 5/20 are his best figures in IPL.
Venkatesh Iyer (Retained, INR 8 crore)
He is an all-rounder who bats left-handed and bowls right-arm medium fast. Venkatesh Iyer hogged limelight in his maiden IPL season in 2021, scoring 370 runs across 10 games, alongside taking 3 wickets. His best IPL score is 67.
Umesh Yadav (INR 2 crore)
The veteran right-arm pacer has some good pace in his bowling. The improvement in line and length over the years saw him develop into a much better bowler. His best IPL figures are 4/24.
Ajinkya Rahane (INR 1 crore)
The right-handed batter has vast experience of T20s with over 150 IPL games played. Ajinkya Rahane is a top-order batter filled with pure class. His best IPL score is 105.
Nitish Rana (INR 8 crore)
Nitish Rana is an attacking left-arm batter who clears boundaries at will. The Delhi-born player’s best IPL score is 77. He is also a part time spinner who bowls right-arm off break.
INDIAN UNCAPPED PLAYERS
Rinku Singh (INR 55 lakh)
The 24-year-old all-rounder from Uttar Pradesh is a left-handed batter, who can play big shots, and a right-arm off-break bowler. His best T20 score is 63 not out.
Sheldon Jackson (INR 60 lakh)
The 35-year-old is a wicketkeeper-batsman. Sheldon Jackson’s best T20 score is 106 not out. Right-handed batter Sheldon has registered 10 fifties in the format.
Shivam Mavi (INR 7.25 crore)
Shivam Mavi is one of the star players of the Indian team that won the 2018 ICC U19 World Cup. He is not much tall in length but has a real good pace in his bowling that makes him a terrific bowler. He was earlier bought by KKR for INR 3 crore.
Anukul Roy (INR 20 lakh)
The left-arm orthodox too shone at the U-19 World Cup 2018 by finishing the tournament as the joint-highest wicket-taker (14 wickets from 6 games). Anukul Roy was earlier picked by Mumbai Indians at 2018 IPL auction for INR 20 lakh. He is a left-handed batter.
Aman Khan (INR 20 lakh)
He is an all-rounder whose main strength is batting. He bats right-handed. He bowls right-arm off-break
Baba Indrajith (INR 20 lakh)
The 27-year-old is an all-rounder, who is a right-handed middle-order batsman and right-arm leg-spin bowler. His best T20 score is 46.
Ashok Sharma (INR 55 lakh)
Ashok Sharma is a right-arm medium-fast bowler and right-handed batsman. His base price at IPL 2022 auction was INR 20 lakh.
Pratham Singh (INR 20 lakh)
He is a left-handed batter who also bowls right-arm off spin. The 29-year-old Pratham Singh’s best score in T20 format is 89. He plays for Railways in the domestic circuit.
Ramesh Kumar (INR 20 lakh)
The 23-year-old Ramesh Kumar is a left-handed batter and a left-arm spinner. The trait of turning the ball in both directions when bowling makes him special.
Abhijeet Tomar (INR 40 lakh)
The 26-year-old Abhijeet Tomar is a right-handed batsman. He can also bowl right-arm off-break. His base price in IPL 2022 auction was INR 20 lakhs.
Rasikh Salam Dar (INR 20 lakh)
He is a right-arm medium-fast bowler from Kashmir. In 2019 IPL, Rasikh Salam Dar has played one match for five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians.
