IPL 2023: In preparation for the Indian Premier League’s 2023 season (IPL), KKR was the most active team during the trading window. KKR made a mistake in the mega auction earlier this year, and after finishing seventh on the points table under new captain Shreyas Iyer, the two-time champions attempted to make up ground before the auction.
KKR released 15 players
However, this has left them with very little wiggle room going into the upcoming mini-auction. Out of all 10 franchises, KKR released the most players (15), and traded in three cricketers (two for all-cash transactions and one for a cash and barter exchange that involved sending Aman Khan to Delhi Capitals in exchange for Shardul Thakur). In order to get Lockie Ferguson and Shardul, KKR had to spend a large portion of their budget, as both players were acquired by their previous teams for at least INR 10 crore. They have to fill eleven slots as of now.
Despite the fact that they released 15 players, there is still a significant financial gap between the players who were released and those who were kept. They have already spent more than INR 50 crore on Shreyas Iyer (INR 12.25 crore), Nitish Rana (INR 8 crore), Andre Russell (INR 12 crore salary but amount deduction from purse – INR 16 crore), Sunil Narine (INR 6 crore), Varun Chakravarthy (INR 8 crore salary but amount deduction from purse – INR 12 crore), and Venkatesh Iyer (INR 8 crore).
KKR IPL 2023 retention
Retained: Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, Umesh Yadav, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Anukul Roy, Rinku Singh
Overseas: Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee
Trades: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Lockie Ferguson, Shardul Thakur
Slots to fill: Indian – 8, overseas – 3
Also Read: MS Dhoni: Thala to retire after IPL 2023 and join team India for a BIG role, says reports
Only 7 crore left in KKR’s purse
Since KKR believed that their lack of funds may hinder them in the auction, they made a number of significant signings through deals. Yes, they were able to execute a few good trades, but their auction prices didn’t help since they had to spend an additional 20+ crore for just three players. The proper move was made by KKR in concentrating primarily on their starting XI. They do, however, have a few glaring weaknesses, and with only INR 7.05 crore in the purse, KKR will have to consider before making every offer.
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