Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa talked about the strategies that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) would adopt at the upcoming IPL 2023 auction which will be held on December 23 in Kochi.
KKR will go into the auction with only INR 7.05 crs but by releasing as many as 16 players from their squad, they have given a clear signal of an overhaul. Three of their players Pat Cummins, Alex Hales, and Sam Billings opted out of the tournament and they let go of the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Mavi, Sheldon Jackson, and Aaron Finch.
In between, KKR acquired the services of all-rounder Shardul Thakur, wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and fast bowler Lockie Ferguson.
Robin Uthappa feels they need a wicketkeeper, preferably an Indian, a backup for Andre Russell, who has a tendency to attract injuries, and a fast bowling backup to Shardul Thakur and Umesh Yadav.
“KKR would be looking for three players in this auction – one would be an Indian backup wicketkeeper for Gurbaz. In case they want flexibility in playing both Tim Southee and Lockie Ferguson, Gurbaz is the one who would have to sit out as they are not going to drop Sunil Narine and Andre Russell. The second player is a backup to Andre Russell. IPL is going back to its original format. So, it is not going to be just one or two venues. There will be a lot of travel. KKR is one such team that travels the most.
Kolkata is really far away and they travel at least 2-3 thousand km more than all other teams. So, keeping those things in mind, you will have to have a backup just in case, Russell pulls up or he has not recovered due to back-to-back matches. Third would be an Indian fast bowler who would be a backup to Shardul Thakur and Umesh Yadav. They have a couple of youngsters in their group, but they would like to get somebody like Jaydev Unadkat," Uthappa said on Jio Cinema.
Uthappa last played in IPL for Chennai Super Kings and he also talked about the MS Dhoni-led side’s plans despite them releasing only a handful of players including him as he retired from the game.
Robin pointed out that CSK will be looking to buy a replacement for Dwayne Bravo in the auction, as the all-rounder retired from IPL and will join the franchise as their bowling coach.
Uthappa said: “CSK, they need an all-rounder to replace Dwayne Bravo and they need a solid India middle-order batter as a backup for the players that they already have. In that, I think they will look for the likes of Sam Curran because he has already played for CSK in the past, he’s done well for them and has contributed to their success so they will definitely try and go for him.
The second one would be an Indian batter in the middle order and the ones that are available in this auction seem to be like Manish Pandey, he has done exceptionally well in the IPL and is also someone who is experienced and would really enjoy playing in the CSK culture. These are the two players they will go for but in case they don’t get them – I am certain there are other options that they already have."
