In a recent development, an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise is set to make an intriguing decision to not make its Indian captain a priority pick but a foreign cricketer ahead of the retention deadline.

Last season’s (IPL 2024) winners, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), face a tough decision before October 31 (last date for all IPL teams to submit their retention list).

According to a TOI report, KKR is understood to be contemplating making a foreign star their priority pick over captain Shreyas Iyer.

The three-time IPL winners want to make West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell their main retainer while also keeping Shreyas Iyer in the roster, although his captaincy role remains in doubt for the upcoming season. Russell, 36, was earlier signed by KKR for INR 12 crore and is likely to get a substantial raise.

On the other hand, in case Shreyas is not satisfied with KKR’s terms, his entry into the auction may trigger a bidding war with multiple franchises like Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Delhi Capitals (DC ) in serious danger. need for a captain.

KKR faces abundance problem ahead of IPL 2025 auction

The winners of IPL 2024 face the difficult task of shortlisting just a few players from a championship-winning team before the retention deadline.

There are several attractive retention options for KKR, including the likes of Rinku Singh, uncapped all-rounder Harshit Rana, Mitchell Starc, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy. However, it remains to be seen how much the current champions are willing to invest.

KKR, co-owned by Shah Rukh Khan, has been one of the franchises advocating for a smaller auction and promoting the use of Right to Match (RTM) option and is likely to implement the strategy in the upcoming IPL 2025 auction.

ALSO READ: CSK CEO gives important update on MS Dhoni’s participation in IPL 2025 as retention deadline approaches

While KKR has a abundance problem, it is his captaincy decision that will be closely watched by the other rival franchises.

For more updates, follow Cricxtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram and YouTube.