Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) cannot afford to not retain all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, saying that he will be hot property if he goes into the IPL 2022 auction.
With the IPL 2022 retention deadline a day away, the franchises are working overtime to get the retentions right away of another season. Kolkata Knight Riders are spoil for choices but Irfan Pathan believes they will go for opener Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer as their two Indian picks.
“The third one will be in Shubman Gill. He was in the leadership group a couple of years ago, that’s what they said. And the 4th one, yes you need to think about Varun Chakravarthy or Nitish Rana but I would go for Venkatesh Iyer. If that guy goes in the auction, because of his ability to bowl a couple of overs, he will be a hot pick. You might not be able to get him back,” Irfan Pathan told Star Sports on Monday.
Venkatesh Iyer, who made a mark in the UAE leg of IPL 2021, hit 370 runs as he led the KKR turnaround. He bowled medium pace and picked up 3 wickets as well as the former champions reached the final earlier this year. On the back of his IPL 2021 performances, Iyer also made his India debut in the recently-concluded T20I series against New Zealand.
KKR should retain Narine and Russell – Irfan Pathan
The former all-rounder believes KKR should rely on the West Indies duo of Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, who have delivered the goods from the franchise over the last few years.
“Both, you want to keep them both. I know they are not at the peak of their careers, I know KKR would be thinking of Lockie Ferguson. He is really, really good with the new ball, old ball, bowling those yorkers. He would be my first pick if I have to choose between him and Pat Cummins. I think he is quality,” Pathan said.
“But when it comes to Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, they are quality players, I know their fitness hasn’t been up to the mark, their performances haven’t been up to the mark but you need to give them another 2 years. They were part of the winning team a couple of times,” he added.
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