If reports are to be believed, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have signed New Zealand pacer Tim Southee for the remainder of the IPL 2021 which begins on September 19 in UAE. KKR’s ace pacer Pat Cummins had opted out of the tournament to be with his young family.

A franchise official has confirmed the signing of the New Zealand pacer Tim Southee to Cricbuzz on Thursday (August 26). He had been part of IPL for six consecutive years but went unsold in the 2020 auction. His most recent appearance came in the 2019 edition when he turned up for RCB, finishing with an economy rate of 13 in the three games he played.

The 32-year-old has previously turned out for Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians (MI), and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). In 40 IPL games, he has picked 28 wickets at an economy rate of 8.47.

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"Tim has been a strong player and has been the spearhead of the New Zealand team. In the UAE conditions, we hope he will be very effective," a KKR official said.

Southee will be the third New Zealander in the KKR squad along with Tim Seifert and Lockie Ferguson. 

The KKR official also confirmed that Brendon McCullum, the head coach of the franchise will join the team in UAE, despite staying away from Caribbean Premier League commitments, where he coaches the Trinbago Knight Riders.

KKR is on seventh place in the IPL points table with four points with two wins in seven games.

(Cricbuzz inputs)