Kolkata Knight Riders: Three Overseas KKR stars to keep an Eye On in IPL 2024

Kolkata Knight Riders will be aiming to surmount a strong bid for the IPL 2024. The Knight Riders start their campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 23 at the Eden Gardens.

The Knight Riders have a strong squad coming into this IPL, which bolstered significnatly after the auction. They brought in some good players, and shattered all IPL records with the acquisition of Mitchell Starc.

KKR also had two overseas players withdraw from the squad as Jason Roy and Gus Atkinson decided to skip the IPL. They have been replaced with Dushmantha Chameera and Phil Salt respectively.

KKR IPL 2024 Overseas Players

KKR's hopes in this IPL relies on a combined effort but their overseas stars will have to play a big part in that. KKR's foreigners are- Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Mitchell Starc, Sherfane Rutherford, Phil Salt, Dushmantha Chameera, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

Here are three overseas stars who can make a major impact for KKR in this IPL-

Mitchell Starc

Mitchell Starc will obviously have the most eyes on him. After the gigantic price in the auction, the Australian is set to be scrutinized for his performances. Starc has been a stellar performer over the years, but it will be a big challenge for him to adapt the IPL surroundings after an 8-year hiatus from the competition.

Phil Salt

Philip Salt is a last-minute replacement at KKR as he was roped in for Jason Roy. The Englishman is known for his hard-hitting and has performed well in IPL in the limited opportunities. Salt has a career strike rate of 166 in T20Is, and an overall 153 in all T20s. Hence KKR spectators can expect entertainment when the 27-year-old gets to the crease. Salt remained unsold in the auction, but he can be an asset for KKR, who got him at his Rs 1.5 crore base price.

Andre Russell

Andre Russell, KKR's evergreen star, is set to play a major part this season as well. Russell's all-round ability has been an asset for the Knight Riders over the years, but the Caribbean star will be keen to step things up. With Starc and other bowling options already there, Dre-Russ may have a bigger role in batting this season and his prowess will be key in KKR's fortunes.