IPL 2024 Auction: KKR to bring back these two former players for next season? Fact Check!

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Kolkata Knight Riders will aim to bolster their squad in the IPL 2024 auction. KKR do have a decent war chest to splash and they will be hoping to fill the voids after releasing 12 players before the auction.

The two-time IPL champions have performed underwhelmingly in the last couple of seasons. After their IPL 2021 runners-up performance, the Knights have twice finished in the 7th position in the last two seasons.

In the auction, the priority for the Knight Riders will be many. With four released overseas players, they will have to bring in foreign talents on board, while some decent domestic additions are also badly warranted.

KKR tend to bring former players back into their squads. We have seen it with Pat Cummins, Shakib Al Hasan and others - who all have had multiple stints at the franchise in their IPL career.

And in the upcoming auction, we may see them taking the same avenue to rack up their squad. There have been reports of another Pat Cummins return at KKR. The Australia captain decided to not take part in IPL 2023 and lifted the World Cup last month.

Although Cummins may well be a far-fetched option, here are two players who are also being linked with a move back to KKR. Will it happen or will it not? Let's have a look-

Rovman Powell

The hard-hitting West Indies player was released by Delhi Capitals ahead of this auction. Powell was a Kolkata Knight Riders player, but he didn't get a lot of opportunities with them. But with the much matured and much-improved player that he is at the moment, KKR may set their sights on the Caribbean star in the auction.

He is also having a decent Abu Dhabi T10 outing, which may facilitate his chances at his old franchise once again.

Our Verdict: With Rovman Powell's base price at INR 1 crore, it won't be the worst of acquisitions if Kolkata Knight Riders get him. Powell can be a decent backup for Andre Russell with his all-round abilities. But the maximum amount KKR can splash on him is maybe around INR 2 to 2.5 crore, anything beyond that may signal retreat for the Knights management.

Shivam Mavi

Shivam Mavi's big-money move to Gujarat Titans didn't work and the pacer has been released by them. Mavi has been a decent player for KKR in the past and has been linked with a move back to KKR.

Mavi suffered a rib fracture which has kept him out of action since August. The pacer is likely to be fit for the IPL 2024 and will KKR give him another chance to thrive and shine? That remains to be seen.

Our Verdict: KKR already have two pacers in Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana. A Shivam Mavi return looks good for the stories but they may well be inclining to a player with a bigger and better credential in the T20 format and IPL. Hence it looks like a No!