Kolkata Knight Riders need to find a new leader, and that could be Ishan Kishan. For that purpose, the current champion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) KKR is entering the mega auction challenge to secure this unretained star batter from Mumbai Indians. Shreyas Iyer served as the captain of the franchise last season, but Kolkata Knight Riders surprised everybody by releasing him from their retention list. The team has decided to retain Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, and Ramandeep Singh. Notably, stars like Phil Salt, Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, and Mitchell Starc no longer have a place on KKR’s retention list.
As a result, Shah Rukh Khan’s team will need to find a new leader while also strengthening their top order. Being the defending champions from last season, they must have a strong captain. This is why KKR is looking towards the Mumbai Indians camp for potential leadership options.
If KKR secures Ishan Kishan, they will gain another advantage: they need a wicketkeeper as well. As KKR management did not retain Phil Salt for the upcoming season. The path to acquiring Ishan is not difficult since this talented wicketkeeper-batsman was not included in the Mumbai Indians’ retention list.
Mumbai has opted to retain key players like Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Tilak Verma. However, many franchises will be keeping a close eye on Ishan due to his impressive IPL statistics. In the IPL format, whether it’s batting or keeping, Ishan is top-notch in both roles.
However, the opportunity to captain a champion team does not come often. From that perspective, KKR could be an ideal choice for Ishan Kishan, especially as the left-handed batsman needs a lifeline at this stage of his career.
Currently out of the Indian national team and not included in the board’s central contract, Ishan’s only way to break the deadlock lies in his performance in domestic cricket and the IPL. Therefore, joining KKR could be a beneficial move for him. Furthermore, Ishan possesses the capability to captain all formats as a wicketkeeper, following in the footsteps of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. If Kolkata offers him the captaincy, it would also present him with a chance to connect with his idol.