After the successful completion of IPL 2021, there has been a lot of buzz about IPL 2022. A twist has made this more exciting because there will be a mega auction before the start of the new season. All teams have already submitted their retention list as per the rules and regulations. The teams are now planning and making strategies as how to spend on some new and some old players in the auction. One of the major teams to see in the upcoming auction is KKR. Kolkata Knight Riders gave a fabulous performance in IPL 2021 as they were able to reach the final after a forgettable first half. However, they lost to Chennai Super Kings in the final match of their campaign. The fans’ eyes will be on KKR’s management and their strategy for the upcoming mega auction. Apart from buying new players, KKR will primarily be looking for a new captain at the IPL 2022 auctions. In this article, we will take a look on 3 Potential Captains for KKR in IPL 2022.
In the last season, KKR somehow managed to turn things around under Morgan’s leadership. It was unexpected because their start in the first half of IPL 2021 was very poor. Morgan is the man behind England’s maiden ODI World Cup in 2019. He is known for his astute captaincy skills but poor batting form must have led the franchise in releasing him. Kolkata Knight Riders will once try to bring back some old players along with looking for a prospective captain.
Manish Pandey
Manish Pandey is a familiar name for the fans of Kolkata Knight Riders. He is a former KKR player and can definitely prove to be a good buy for the team in the upcoming IPL 2022 auctions. He can be brought back in the team as a captain. Pandey performed well for SRH by scoring some runs but his only concern was his strike rate. Pandey has been criticized a lot for his low strike rate in the death overs. After the releasing of existing players, Kolkata will need a player who can bat responsibly in the middle overs and Pandey is someone who can fill that spot for them. Manish Pandey can be seen as a potential captain because he even captains the Karnataka team successfully. He holds the experience of captaincy in the domestic cricket which might work in the IPL too.
Andre Russell
KKR retained their four players and Andre Russell was at the top. Russell has been attached with KKR for a long time. There are high chances that Kolkata Knight Riders might ask Andre Russell to take over the captaincy for IPL 2022. Russell has been fantastic for KKR over the years with his bowling and particularly batting skills. He has played several match-winning knocks but he was not at his best in the IPL 2021. The West Indies all-rounder has been a key player for the team in the last few seasons. He was retained for Rs. 12 crores for the next season. In IPL 2021, the right-handed batsman slammed 183 runs in 10 games and also picked 11 wickets. Considering his price tag, the management might give him captaincy of KKR.
Aaron Finch
Aaron Finch was not picked by any team in IPL 2021 but it does not change the fact that he is a really good captain. Finch is the captain of Australian cricket team in the limited-overs format. Finch is a doubtful option in IPL because he is yet to play a crucial role for the team with the bat. Finch is more important to a team as a captain. The Australian opener is known for maintaining a positive mindset which Kolkata is really looking for in the upcoming season. In the role of a batsman also, he can give the other player some time and score runs with a good strike rate at the start of the innings. Finch holds a lot of experience of captaincy and being a good opener, he is a potential Captain for KKR in IPL 2022.
