While it will be extremely difficult to shortlist only four players from a championship-winning team, let's take a look at whom the KKR management will decide to prioritize.
Reigning Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) enjoyed a stellar last season where the franchise won their third title. Only Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) have won more, with five titles each.
Nevertheless, the KKR management will have a task cut-out when the mega-auctions take place ahead of the next season (IPL 2025) to fill the void left by most players returning to the auction pool.
KKR is one franchise that will be the most affected by the mega-auctions since they will have to let go off a majority of players from their championship-winning team.
While it will be extremely difficult to shortlist only four players to retain in a team of multiple matchwinners, let’s take a look at whom the franchise will decide to prioritize.
Will KKR retain these players in the upcoming IPL season?#IPL2025 pic.twitter.com/eYY8ePRxjg
— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) July 24, 2024
Dynamic batter Shreyas Iyer is the first name on the list. Shreyas is expected to be retained, especially after leading the franchise to win the trophy last season.
It was an incredible comeback for the 29-year-old, having missed the previous season due to injury. It was also a great way to make his mark, especially after the BCCI excluded him from the central contracts list.
Shreyas had a decent outing with the bat, managing 351 runs in 14 games at an average of 39 while striking at a rate of 146.86. He’s already proven his worth as a skipper and is a consistent batter in the middle and KKR are expected to show their trust in Shreyas once more and retain him for IPL 2025.
Also Read: MI Retained Players List for IPL 2025
After a few years of grooming, Rinku Singh finally evolved into a lethal arsenal in the KKR XI. Touted as the next big finisher, Rinku Singh has already impressed with his monstrous power-hitting and the ability to turn the tide of the match.
His consistent performances have also opened India doors and KKR will ensure not to let off such a promising talent. Rinku has really come of age and having honed his finisher role to near-perfection, he will be extremely crucial in the lower-middle order and is also one of the few workhorses in batting lineup.
Andre Russell is one of the most complete defenders in the world and in the IPL currently. KKR has been heavily reliant on Russell for his fireworks with the bat and also his ability to deliver the goods with the ball.
Although Russell wasn’t required to do much with the bat during the IPL 2024 season, he stepped up with the ball and proved his mettle by picking up 19 wickets, while bowling mostly during the crunch situations or the death overs.
Sunil Narine has been an asset to KKR and they don’t seem eager to part ways with him yet. The Windies all-rounder has once again shown that he still has it in him.
Narine was one of the key architects of KKR’s title win, contributing with both the bat and the ball impeccably. He has also shown incredible versatility, from batting at the top of the order to bowling in powerplay or death, which allows the team to chop and change their strategy as and when required.
The 36-year-old also won the Most Valuable Player award in IPL 2024 for his contributions where he scored 488 runs and picked up 17 wickets.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram and YouTube
