Hey Kay R

A shared space for the love of Kolkata Knight Riders! Only insights on retentions, auctions, matches and all things purple and gold

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

There are 4 different structures of playing XIIs that #KKR can field depending on the requirements of the venue, opening combinations, middle order sequences and bowling line-ups. These are realistically possible scenarios as the season progresses🧵

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

Ravi Bishnoi was not even part of the RR squad and he’s playing for India in England.

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

Washington Sundar is not worth a spot in the playing XI of GT much less for India. Plethora of all rounders who can bowl 2 bad overs of right arm offbreak.

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

@SRK_BornToRule @KKRiders .

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

I know KKR wont but I’d take the deal in a beat. KKR are clear winners if this goes through.

We anyway need a number 7 batter to replace Ramandeep Singh.

As for Angkrish, the boy is good but you cannot make your team around a player like him when you have two RHBs Allen and Green already in the top 3. Also, Angkrish goes where Nayar goes. If Nayar were to leave after next season, Angkrish would also leave before the next mega auction cycle. No point making a supposed short term gain for a definite long term loss.

In exchange for Angkrish+Ramandeep, you will get a spin basher at who can bat anywhere between 4-6 and a skipper for atleast the next 3 seasons.

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

Keep it simple @KKRiders

No touching players that you have built and nurtured over the years - Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Rinku Singh and Harshit Rana.

No touching players with great upside and high ceiling - Finn Allen and Cameron Green

Everybody else is negotiable and on the table other than these 6 players. In an ideal world, I would still like to keep Raghuvanshi and observe for another year but if push comes to shove, a call can be taken.

[KKR Vibe @KnightsVibe]

Kolkata Knight Riders have turned down trade requests for Rinku Singh, Varun Cv, Sunil Narine, and Harshit Rana. However, they have not yet rejected Angkrish Raghuvanshi's trade request, as KKR may still be considering the offer closely.

© @CricSubhayan

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

Washington Sundar is not worth a spot in the playing XI of GT much less for India. Plethora of all rounders who can bowl 2 bad overs of right arm offbreak.

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

KKR 2027 - An updated dream XI

Finn Allen ✈️
Tushar Raheja (wk)
Cameron Green ✈️
Matt Renshaw ✈️ (/Mark Chapman)
Hardik Pandya (c)
Rinku Singh
(RHB impact batter)
Anukul Roy
Harshit Rana
Sunil Narine ✈️
Kartik Tyagi
Varun CV

What I absolutely love about this lineup is the RHB-LHB combination goes all the way to number 11.

Batting till number 10.

If you need to add an overseas left arm pacer, you have the option of promoting Anukul to number 4 to use him as a proper batter. That way you can have either Green or Pandya play only as a batter.

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

KKR 2027 - A Dream

Finn Allen ✈️
Tushar Raheja
Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk)
Cameron Green ✈️
Hardik Pandya (C)
Rinku Singh
Tejasvi Dahiya
Anukul Roy
Harshit Rana
Sunil Narine ✈️
Kartik Tyagi
Varun CV

Harshit-Pandya for the PP overs.

You could add a left arm PP bowler like Dubey if Hardik doesn’t bowl but only bats at 5 and leads the side.

Narine-Varun-Anukul for middle overs.

Spin bashers above and below Rinku Singh.

Two proper Indian keeper options in the fielding XI

A weaker 7-8 is offset by Harshit and Narine at 9-10. Insane batting depth.

Tyagi for death overs.

@KKRiders

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

I wish there was a way for KKR to trade in Ashutosh Sharma.

The guy has been a top notch finisher for a while now. Proper number 7 material. If there is any team silly enough to give him away, it is DC and that should be exploited. Just give them a top order batter who they wont know what to do with and get this beast in.

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

@That_cant_beme Did you not see him with GT?

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

I know KKR wont but I’d take the deal in a beat. KKR are clear winners if this goes through.

We anyway need a number 7 batter to replace Ramandeep Singh.

As for Angkrish, the boy is good but you cannot make your team around a player like him when you have two RHBs Allen and Green already in the top 3. Also, Angkrish goes where Nayar goes. If Nayar were to leave after next season, Angkrish would also leave before the next mega auction cycle. No point making a supposed short term gain for a definite long term loss.

In exchange for Angkrish+Ramandeep, you will get a spin basher at who can bat anywhere between 4-6 and a skipper for atleast the next 3 seasons.

[KKR Karavan @KkrKaravan]

🚨 HARDIK PANDYA TRADE UPDATE :

▫️Mumbai Indians have asked for Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Ramandeep Singh in exchange for Hardik Pandya

▫️It is still unclear whether the deal will be an all cash transfer or a player trade

— News18 Bangla 📰

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

One player that KKR should ideally offer to MI in order to trade Hardik in should the all cash deal not go through is Pathirana. Fills that Malinga shaped void for them. KKR have anyway had decent returns from Kartik Tyagi.

There is no way KKR would want to give up on Varun, Narine, Green (coz of Watson) Raghuvanshi (coz of Nayar) and Rinku. The only blocker for Pathirana is DJ Bravo.

Also Pathirana is the only way to free up funds to acquire Hardik at a price point above 10cr. KKR cannot offer all cash without releasing a player.

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

I really dont understand KKR fans’ obsession with Allen-Narine opening and Rinku at 5. We need a proper LHB opener and Rinku has failed at 5 repeatedly. He has only succeeded at 6 or below.

Play Pandya at 5
Bring in a left hand wk bat at 2

[Prantik @Pran__07]

KKR XI next season if we get Hardik Pandya
1. Finn Allen
2. Sunil Narine
3. Angkrish Raghuvanshi
4. Cameron Green
5. Rinku Singh
6. Hardik Pandya (c)
7. Rovman Powell
8. Anukul Roy
9. Harshit Rana
10. Kartik Tyagi
11. Varun Chakravarthy
Impact sub: An overseas pace bowler in as we start with 3 Overseas players.

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

Mumbai Indians is one team that will not give a player without asking for another player in exchange.

MI is the last team that will only strengthen another team through a cash deal and not neutralise the trade by taking away from the other team.

I expect them to try and poach a Pathirana at least.

[KKR Karavan @KkrKaravan]

Don’t be surprised if SRK manages to get Hardik Pandya in an all-cash deal or without giving any marquee player to MI.

SRK shares a strong relationship with the Ambanis and there are more than enough ways for him to make it work.

Hardik Pandya to KKR feels like a done deal🔥

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

@RagingBuddha_ Lol. Form is the least of concerns when the profile itself is a wrong fit. Top order is cluttered with overseas. And we need a backup not a starter. It doesnt matter who you replace him with if they’re not playing. Also our requirement is middle order overseas reinforcement.

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

I’m going to be closely following Mark Chapman in league cricket over the next few months. One of the very few middle order left hand batters out there. KKR really needs to get rid of one of Seifert or Rachin Ravindra. Too much overseas clutter in the top 3.

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

The lack of quality left hand batters in the middle order who can attack spin will be one of KKR’s troubles in the next auction.

The top 5 that played in the second half of the league were all RHBs with Rinku being the first LHB coming at 6.

#KKR need at least two LHBs in the top 6 but ideally, they would 3 - LHB opener to replace Rahane. Another at 4/5 before Rinku comes in at 6.

It remains to be seen whether they would want to promote Anukul at 5 based on his performance over the domestic season or go for an outside hire for the role.

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

Which era are you living in and what IPL are you watching?

Openers are closing games in t20 cricket within the PP itself. Sooryavanshi, Head, Finn Allen, Priyansh, Prabhsimran, Salt, Gill, Sudharshan, Kohli…list goes on.

The worst performing teams of this IPL had different problems but one thing was common amongst them - Their opening pair was not settled and not attacking enough. Two of the top 4 teams did not even have a middle order.

Yes you need good finishers but not at the expense of set openers

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

Interesting moves in the trade window but I genuinely don’t get what RR stand
to gain from a Hardik 🔁 Jaiswal trade.

They qualified for the POs with Parag as skipper on the back of Sooryavanshi and Archer. Sure they need to firm up their middle order but they’re giving away a set opening pair for a number 4/5 batter who might contest be the captain.

If this is happening because Jaiswal wants to go to MI, RR should ask for someone who helps them but also whose departure would really weaken MI. Tilak Verma seems like the only right option for a trade for Jaiswal.

[KKR Karavan @KkrKaravan]

TRADE TALKS HEATING UP! 🔥

Talks of a Hardik Pandya 🔁 Yashasvi Jaiswal trade are taking place between MI and RR

Will KKR once again miss out on a big move and continue with Ajinkya Rahane as captain?

— @CricSubhayan 📰

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

@RagingBuddha_ An overseas backup keeper who isn’t part of the starting XII makes very little sense when you are playing an Indian keeper anyway. You can have indian backup keepers.

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

Any century that comes in more than 55 balls is bound to be a useless century. Look at how 40 year old Faf chased it down.

[KnightRidersXtra @KKR_Xtra]

TIM SEIFERT STARTS HIS MLC 2026 WITH A CENTURY AGAINST TEXAS SUPER KINGS.

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

Whats funny to me is that KKR have to look for captaincy options in teams that have ended up below them on the points table and have been the worst performing captains/teams of the last season.

This suggests two things -

1. KKR mgmt believes that Pant and Pandya were better than the teams they were working with.
2. If not, and they don’t rate these two as captains, they might persist with Rahane because he anyway did a better job than Pant and Pandya

Then the only way out of Rahane as KKR captain is to promote from within or trade a stand in captain from another team who can contribute better as a player than as a captain.

[Swapnil Vats @iamswapnilvats]

I’m really disappointed that KKR even approached Rishabh Pant

I honestly don’t understand what they saw in him. It would have cost huge amount and even then the captaincy issue wouldn’t have been solved

Very poor thinking from KKR

LSG wanted either Varun or Narine in exchange

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

Have been asking for Anukul to be promoted to 5 from before the start of this season but I doubt KKR will let Anukul bat above Rinku. They both are the same role batter for their SMAT teams (4/5) but Rinku is more valuable to KKR. As for Angkrish, I dont think having him as an opener alongwith Allen brings any real value.

[Hey Kay R @HeyKayR]

The lack of quality left hand batters in the middle order who can attack spin will be one of KKR’s troubles in the next auction.

The top 5 that played in the second half of the league were all RHBs with Rinku being the first LHB coming at 6.

#KKR need at least two LHBs in the top 6 but ideally, they would 3 - LHB opener to replace Rahane. Another at 4/5 before Rinku comes in at 6.

It remains to be seen whether they would want to promote Anukul at 5 based on his performance over the domestic season or go for an outside hire for the role.