The release of Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) whole frontline pace battery ahead of the IPL 2024 auction has drawn attention away from a long-standing concern in their squad: the lack of a regular Indian wicketkeeper-batter.
KKR have struggled in this department since Dinesh Karthik left in 2021. Sam Billings, Sheldon Jackson, and Baba Indrajith juggled the gloves in 2022. Last year, the Knight Riders were led by Rahmanullah Gurbaz, N Jagadeesan, and Litton Das.
There is one thing all names have in common none of them were sure-fire starters. So, in both seasons, KKR had to use an overseas place or drop a superior Indian batter/all-rounder to make room for a keeper in IPL 2024.
This had a significant impact on the team’s balance. To make matters worse, except from Gurbaz, no other player had regular opportunities or impressed in those that were available. Gurbaz is presently the team’s sole available wicketkeeper.
KKR can address this issue in a variety of ways. They may trust Gurbaz enough to offer him the starting place on a continuous basis, or they could bring in another, more experienced foreign wicketkeeper and make the Afghan a competitive backup; or they could locate an experienced Indian gloveman in the auction who is good enough to start most games.
There aren’t many players from the last category left in the IPL auction right now. Having only two overseas wicketkeepers, however, severely limits the team. So, regardless of which option KKR choose, they will have to acquire an Indian keeper, young or experienced, from the IPL 2024 auction.
We have offered three possible alternatives for them to sign below.
3. Kumar Kushagra
Kumar Kushagra, a young 18-year-old wicketkeeper-batter from Jharkhand, has progressed through the ranks of age-group cricket. He doesn’t have a really impressive T20 record, but he made a lot of runs in first-class and List-A cricket in 2023.
A fantastic spin and speed player, he often bats in the middle and lower middle-order for Jharkhand and East Zone, which is unusual for one of the youngest players at this level. He can tonk the ball a considerable distance with fairly conventional blows and is also quite adept behind the stumps.
After a strong showing in the 2023 Deodhar Trophy earlier this year, the Delhi Capitals invited him to their brief off-season training. He’ll be available in Set 8 of the IPL 2024 auction for a starting price of Rs 20 lakh.
Kushagra might be an excellent understudy if KKR decides to make Gurbaz their first-choice wicketkeeper or sign another international gloveman.
They can develop him and give him a chance as a middle-order backup, especially at home where the predicted low-scoring matches on a spin-friendly Eden will suit his style.
2. Urvil Patel
Urvil Patel, 25, of Gujarat, recently scored the second-fastest List-A century by an Indian in a Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023 match against Arunachal Pradesh. The news came only a day after the Gujarat Titans cut him from their roster in preparation for the IPL 2024 auction.
When the Titans signed him for 20 lakh last year, he was largely unknown. However, he has developed a reputation as a big-hitting top-order wicketkeeper who can maximize the powerplay. He has 847 runs at a strike rate of 155.41 in 41 T20s, with four half-centuries to his name.
With little work, he may be the ideal backup for Gurbaz at KKR. He won’t disrupt KKR’s Indian middle-order nucleus because he’ll bat in the top order. Furthermore, unlike the other Indian goalkeepers the Knight Riders have attempted in the previous two years, he will not chew up vital powerplay deliveries on bad days.
He’ll be in the same collection as Kushagra, with the same starting price of Rs. 20 lakh.
1. KS Bharat
KS Bharat of the Royal Challengers Bangalore is the only elite Indian wicketkeeper available in the IPL 2024 auction. If everything goes as planned, KKR should almost surely target him when he appears in Set 3 at a base price of 50 lakh in IPL 2024 auction.
Despite being a 1.2 crore signing, the right-handed hitter was with the Titans last year but didn’t play a single game. He has 199 runs from 10 IPL matches at a strike rate of 122.09 and an average of 28.43. In 2021, he scored a match-winning 78* (52) for RCB, including a last-ball six.
The current India ‘A’ captain’s strongest quality is his ability to bat at any position and alter gears at will. Bharat has extensive domestic cricket expertise and has always served as a rescuer for Andhra Pradesh. He isn’t recognized for his strike rate in T20s, but he’s a solid choice on spin-friendly tracks.
His incredible consistency with the bat ensures that he will be considered for India’s Test selection for at least the next several years. Not to mention that, behind Wriddhiman Saha, KS Bharat is usually regarded as India’s top wicketkeeper. KKR couldn’t have asked for a better partner for their three-pronged spin onslaught.
