Eoin Morgan effect sees KKR hire England national team's 'Innovative' analyst for IPL 2021

With the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League inching closer, the franchises are leaving no stones unturned in their preparations for the competition. The Kolkata Knight Riders think tank has also had to take certain vital decisions in an attempt to change their fortunes around after their ordinary performance last year. Ahead of the IPL 2021 auction, the franchise has roped in Nathan Leamon as their strategic consultant. 

England team's analyst set to work with KKR for IPL 2021 

Nathan Leamon also serves as the analyst of the England national team for their white-ball assignments. He is believed to have a great working relationship with Eoin Morgan, which could be the reason for his inclusion. Morgan, who has had immense success as the captain of England in limited-overs matches, was assigned the leadership of the KKR team as well after Dinesh Karthik decided to step down from the position in order to focus more on his batting. 

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As reported by ESPNcricinfo, Leamon will play a major role in devising a strategy for the auction. With the T20 World Cup 2021 also to be held in India, it would be a wonderful opportunity for England's analyst to spend two months in the country and assess the conditions. Moreover, he also is likely to be a part for the England contingent for the India vs England series. 

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Nathan Leamon made headlines when he was seen sending a piece of coded information to the 2019 World Cup-winning skipper from the dressing room during a T20I encounter between England and South Africa few months ago, which raised a lot of hue and cry in the cricketing world, making many accuse England of 'cheating' while some considered the move innovative.

The Kolkata Knight Riders will be hopeful of putting together a stronger show in the forthcoming season, after failing to make it to the playoffs in the 13th edition of the cash-rich league. Eoin Morgan and Nathan Leamon will also look to make an impact in franchise cricket as well after attaining success in international matches. 

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KKR list of retained players 2021

The Eoin Morgan-led side have decided to retain the core members of their team. Tom Banton, Chris Green, Nikhil Naik, Siddharth M., Siddhesh Lad, and Harry Gurney are the six players to be released by the franchise. Here is the KKR list of retained players 2021:

Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Rahul Tripathi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Pat Cummins, Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Tim Seifert.

India vs England schedule

England are scheduled to play four Test matches against India. While the first two fixtures will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Ahmedabad's Sardar Patel Stadium will host the final two Test matches, as well as five T20Is. The two teams will also battle it out in a three-match ODI series, which will be played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. The first Test match of the series will commence on February 5. 

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Image source: Kolkata Knight Riders Instagram