5 Players KKR might release ahead of the next IPL season

4. Siddhesh Lad

Prior to the IPL 2020 auctions, KKR had acquired Siddhesh Lad- Mumbai’s ‘Crisis Man’ in the domestic circuit- from the Mumbai Indians (MI) via trading window. The presence of some renowned Indian names in MI’s star-studded line-up didn’t allow local boy Sid Lad to break into the playing XI. Across four seasons, he had made only a single appearance for Mumbai where he scored 15 runs.

But with the Knight Riders releasing some of their top Indian names and opting for a new-look approach, it looked like Lad would finally get his spotlight in the IPL. The departure of Robin Uthappa allowed Siddhesh to fill in as a like-for-like replacement in KKR’s middle order.

But as it turned out, the men-in-purple decided to play Lad’s fellow Maharashtrian, Rahul Tripathi, in their first-choice eleven. Consequently, Lad was relegated to bench-warming duties for the entire season. There is a chance that KKR will stick with Lad as a reserve batsman for the upcoming 2021 season as well.

What’s more likely, though, is that they will swap him for an all-rounder to a team that is in more urgent need of an Indian batting option. Teams like Chennai, Rajasthan, or Hyderabad, who’ve often struggled to find a balance with their Indian batting options this year, come to mind as teams who might be interested to add Lad to their side.