IPL 2023: 5 Players Kolkata Knight Riders might release ahead of mini-auction

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), were unsuccessful as a team. Out of 14 matches, the team came out victorious six times. The two-time champions, under their new skipper Shreyas Iyer in the fifteenth season of the league, disappointed fans with their inconsistent batting and bowling.

Ahead of the tournament, the franchise spent a good amount on experienced players such as Ajinkya Rahane, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Sam Billings, and Alex Hales.

Despite managing to get some good buys, the franchise got dashed in the tournament due to poor performances of some of their big names. With one of the key batters of the team, Alex Hales, opting out of the tournament, the team looked completely unsettled.

Also, their over-dependence on star player Andre Russell and their experiment with the opening combination played a major part in the quandary faced by them in the tournament. The argument between captain Shreyas Iyer and Brendon McCullum in match no. 30 against Rajasthan Royals also added fuel to the fire.

After the dismal show in 2022, KKR fans looked displeased by their team’s performance. For the next season, the franchise will look forward to returning to their best form in which they had a tendency of getting hold of other teams with the help of their side mixed with young guns and experienced faces.

In the next edition, the franchise will start afresh by removing non-performing names from the team before the auction to be held in December this year.  

Let us take a look at the players KKR might look to release before the auction:

5. Rasikh Salam

Rasikh Salam was bought by the franchise for INR 20 lakhs, and for him, it was a golden opportunity to shine with the ball and become a huge name in the league. But the pacer represented the team in just two matches due to a lower-back injury that he suffered during the tournament. 

The young gun due to his fitness issues couldn’t return to the squad for the rest of the season, which resulted in the signing of Harshit Rana and he replaced Salam in the team.

After KKR's poor last season, the management will find it difficult to go ahead with Salam for the next season. Although the bowler was ruled out of the competition due to injury, his lack of experience in the IPL could become a reason for his release from the team