Kolkata Knight Riders will be heading to the IPL auction with the lowest budget among the ten teams.
The two-time IPL Champions released 15 players ahead of the auction and will be aiming to fill some crucial gaps in their squad.
Ahead of the auction, they may have to concentrate more on some uncapped Indian players due to their financial constraints.
KKR haven't had Bengal players in their squad for a long time. Since the departure of Sourav Ganguly from the KKR setup in 2011, the Bengal-based franchise have always had a lack of Bengal representatives in their squad. But this year, things can change a bit. With the Knights joining the auction with the lowest budget, they may have to incline towards some uncapped Indian players to fill their quota, and there are some bright Bengal prospects who will be up for grabs.
11 Bengal players have been registered for the auction and here are three names that can tempt the Knights to raise the paddle-
Age: 20
Role: Wicketkeeper
Base Price: 20 Lakh
Abhishek Porel has made a name for himself in the domestic circuit in the last year or so. The 20-year-old is a hard-hitting batter and a reliable customer behind the stumps. He has been the mainstay for Bengal in all domestic formats since Wriddhiman Saha switched his allegiance to Tripura. Bengal, having released Sheldon Jackson, will be hoping to get a keeper, and Porel can be an ideal buy. He is definitely young, but has a mature mindset even at a tender age, having already starred for Bengal in a few domestic games.
Age: 29
Role: Fast Bowler
Base Price: 20 Lakh
Mukesh Kumar is another top performer for Bengal in the last few years. The fast bowler has been a key cog of the Bengal squad and has been immense for them in Ranji Trophy. His decent outing earned him an India call-up recently but unfortunately, he didn't get to play a match. Kumar was also in the recently concluded India A tour to Bangladesh and bagged 9 wickets there. With Bengal having just Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur as their Indian fast-bowling options, Kumar can add depth to the squad and can be a handy pick.
Age: 27
Role: Batting All-Rounder
Base Price: 20 Lakh
Ritwik Roy Chowdhury is a multi-faceted player with batting being his biggest strength. The Bengal player has scored 310 T20 runs in his domestic career with a healthy strike rate of 132. He is a middle-order batsman who can occasionally roll his arm around as well. The 27-year-old can be a good pick for KKR as a squad player. He may not be a regular on the side but can thrive in their environment if the opportunity arises.