KKR getting Shardul Thakur on board for IPL 2023 is a gamble that might pay off

Ahead of IPL 2023, Kolkata Knight Riders have acquired India allrounder Shardul Thakur from Delhi Capitals. The trade was an all-cash deal but also involves Delhi getting Mumbai allrounder Aman Khan, who Knight Riders had bought at last year's auction for INR 20 lakh.

Thakur was bagged by Delhi Capitals at a whoping Rs 10.75 crore at 2022 IPL auctions. However, his stint with Delhi wasn't that great as he finished the tournament with 15 wickets in 14 matches and scored 120 runs at a strike rate of 137.93. 

Why KKR went after Thakur: KKR had a dull IPL 2022 season under skipper Shreyas Iyer as the team finished seventh in the points table winning only 6 out of 14 games.

• The team did numerous experiments for setting the right batting order but it failed to deliver the results. 
• Secondly, team's senior pacer Pat Cummins and batter Sam Billings have opted out of the tournament for personal reasons. 
• KKR in the bowling attack was now left with only Umesh Yadav, allrounder Andre Russel and Tim Southee. 
• The team needed a bowling allrounder who would strengthen the pace attack of the team.
• Also, the team got back New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson from Gujarat Titans to provide more depth to the bowling attack.

  Will getting Shardul Thakur be benefecial for KKR?

• If we look at the IPL performances of Shardul Thakur, he has done well in the tournament. In 2021, he was part of the IPL winning Chennai Super Kings franchise. In 2021, Thakur had scalped 21 wickets in 16 matches and he had a batting average average of 25.09.
• His previous IPL performances too have been fine. In fact, he has stayed with the Chennai franchise since 2018.
• In the 2020 season of the IPL, Thakur clinched 10 wickets in 9 matches.
• In 2019, he ended the season with 8 wickets in 9 matches and in 2018, the right-arm bowler got 16 wickets in 13 games. 
• Shardul Thakur comes with a good domestic experience as he has played with Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. 
• He has the ability to swing the ball away from the right-handers and with the new ball he can be dangerous.
• Ultimately, in the long run, Shardul can prove to be a fine investment as he comes with rich experience of international cricket as well.
• He is currently in New Zealand for India's ODI series against the Kiwis.

  What other changes has KKR done?

• The KKR management has also released Australian player Aaron Finch from the side. Finch was acquired by KKR at Rs 1.5 crore during IPL 2022 auctions.
• Besides Finch, KKR has also released Shivam Mavi, Mohammad Nabi and Chamika Karunaratne. 
• In the coaching department, Chandrakant Pandit, former coach of Ranji Trophy winning team of Madhya Pradesh has replaced Brendon McCullum, who moved on to become the head coach of England Test team.
• Former KKR player from Netherlands team, Ryan Ten Doeschate will be the new fielding coach while James Foster will be the assistant coach of the team. 
• It was also surprising that the team retained right-hand batter Ajinkya Rahane as there were expectations that he might be released by the franchise. 
• The IPL mini auction is set to take place on December 23 in Kochi. All the teams have time till 5 pm on November 15 to submit their final list of retained and released players.