Gautam Gambhir, Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate might have taken up positions in the Indian Cricket Team which would make it very hard for the Kolkata Knight Riders to go ahead without a rebuild as the deadline for announcing the retentions for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction draws closer.
As far as retention is concerned, the Times of India (TOI) reports that Andre Russell, the West Indies’ famous all-rounder is most likely to be the first retained player. Andre Russell is expected to earn more especially if he is retained as the top contender for cricketers’ salary worth 18 crores and
Russell has contributed immensely in the 2023 title retaining campaign of KKR, having scored 225 runs with a strike rate of 185 and was also productive with the ball, taking 19 wickets to become the joint second bowler with most wickets alongside teammate Harshit Rana.
The cricketer from West Indies currently possesses the ability to menace his opponents with both bat and ball as he has stepped up a notch in his game. In addition, given his long tenure in the franchise, it is only fair that the all-rounded cricketer receives the biggest paycheck.
The report further proposed that the team would try to hold on to the captain’s position, Shreyas Iyer however not the highest retention. This would mean that the Mumbai-born batter may want to go out and seek opportunities in other teams with the likes of Punjab Kings, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru looking for a captain to helm the team.
Besides KKR has so many other players who are a better option that can make Iyer not the highest retention. Players like Mitchell Starc, Varun Chakravarthy, and Harshit Rana among others can be good retention options if the franchise decides to take this direction.
As the transfer deadline is fast encroaching, franchises will try to hold on their best talents and also try to add more in hopes that KKR can go on to win their second title in a row.
The teams are supposed to declare their retention by 31st October and it shall be fascinating to observe who the three-time title winning side will decide to retain in the squad.
