Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) created history on the IPL auction table when they bought Australian pacer Mitchell Starc for a whopping sum of Rs 24.75 crore. KKR has a strong team in the upcoming IPL season and looks like one of the title contenders with the team they have. The Kolkata-based franchise has won the IPL title twice but has not been at its best in recent years.
KKR finished seventh in the points table in IPL 2022 and also failed to qualify for the playoffs in IPL 2023, where they again finished seventh. Kolkata Knight Riders look strong this time and have a lot of firepower in their lineup. They have a battalion of powerful batsmen with Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Sherfane Rutherford and Jason Roy in the team. Shreyas Iyer returns as the captain of the franchise.
Talking about KKR’s bowling attack, they have Mitchell Starc with them and apart from him, they have Gus Atkinson, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy. Andre Russell can also bowl a few overs for them along with Venkatesh Iyer and Nitish Rana as part-time bowlers. Suyash Sharma will pair up with Sunil Narine to give a twist to the attack and Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana can come in with some quick attacks.
However, the Impact Player rule has already given franchises the option of using a player as a substitute in the match. Kolkata Knight Riders have a huge squad and may feel relaxed with the option of replacing a player mid-match. Let’s look at some options that KKR could consider using as impact players in IPL 2024.
Here are three players KKR can use as impact players in the upcoming season
1. Suyash Sharma:
Suyash Sharma is someone KKR used as an impact substitute in IPL 2023 as he completely depends on his bowling to contribute to his team. He was used as an impact substitute so that KKR could get an extra batsman to play in their innings and Suyash Sharma created a good impact for KKR in IPL 2023 by playing 11 games and taking 10 wickets for Kolkata Knight Riders last season. He has taken 28 wickets in 18 T20 matches in all competitions.
2. Sherfane Rutherford:
Another Caribbean all-rounder who is a good hitter of the ball. Sherfane Rutherford has an extravagant hitting game to boast of. He has scored 1848 runs at a strike rate of 133.91 in all competitions and can be a great overseas option to use as an impact player for KKR. Sherfane Rutherford has a knack for building his innings and then playing hard-hitting cricket. He can also contribute medium pace if required.
3. Rinku Singh:
Rinku Singh was the most valuable player for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2023. He smashed five sixes in one over when the team needed 29 in the last over to win the match. He has earned a reputation as a great finisher and it won’t be a surprise if KKR decides to use him as an impact player because he bats down the order and can’t contribute much with the ball.