Shreyas Iyer, the usual captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), won’t be available, at least for the first half of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL). For his lower-back issue, which forced him to sit out of the fourth and final Test against Australia earlier this month, Shreyas is anticipated to endure surgery.
Even days before their IPL 2023 season opener against Punjab Kings on April 1, KKR has not yet named their replacement captain in Iyer’s absence. Shakib al Hasan of Bangladesh, Andre Russell of the West Indies, and Nitish Rana of Delhi are the front-runners to succeed Iyer as captain.
But before the season begins, check out these top bowlers who are considered best among the rest for the upcoming IPL 2023.
IPL 2023 Kolkata Knight Riders: Top 5 bowlers in KKR –
- Lockie Ferguson – Ferguson, one of the IPL’s fastest bowlers, played for KKR from IPL 2019 to IPL 2021 for three seasons before the two-time winners released him. In three seasons, he participated in 18 games and claimed 21 catches. In the massive sale leading up to IPL 2022, Gujarat Titans purchased him for a whopping 10 crore. Ferguson, who GT bought at the previous auction, was in and out of their starting lineup. He did participate in the championship game, which the Titans ultimately defeated the Rajasthan Royals (RR), and during that match, he recorded the quickest delivery of the season with a speed of 157.3 kmph.
- Shardul Thakur – In exchange for the price of Rs 10.75 crore, the team from Delhi Capitals traded in Shardul Thakur rather than the all-around bowler from Mumbai, Aman Khan. Making him captain in his first game is an odd decision considering that this will be his first season with the Kolkata Knight Riders. In the previous IPL he took 15 wickets for DC in 14 games at an economy of 9.79.
- Tim Southee – The main pacers for KKR were probably Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur, and Andre Russell. Tim Southee can take Lockie Ferguson’s spot in the first few games now that he is ill, though. Tim Southee, who played a key role in the 2-0 rout of Sri Lanka in the most recent Test series, can also head KKR in Shreyas Iyer’s absence.
- Umesh Yadav – Umesh, the son of a coal miner, desired to work in law enforcement in order to lift his family out of destitution. But as fate would have it, he ended up becoming a crucial seamer for the Indian squad. Umesh would have found it extremely difficult to manage not being selected for games despite being in his prime years. The cricketer didn’t complain, though, as one of his better campaigns resulted from a backdoor entry into the competition with his old team, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Umesh was one of the main reasons KKR, the two-time champions, had a good IPL season. In his 12 games, he took 16 wickets and had a commendable economy rate of 7.06. In the lead-up to the T20 World Cup last year, his performance was so strong that he unexpectedly received a call-up to India’s T20I team.
- Varun Chakravarthy – The 31-year-old spinner was excellent for KKR in IPL 2020 and IPL 2021, which led to his selection for India’s squad. The Blue India uniform hasn’t been worn by Varun Chakravarthy since he briefly played in the T20 WC 2021. He also performed poorly in the IPL 2022. To be considered again for the national team, Chakravarthy will need a successful IPL season in 2023.
