Published 10:35 IST, August 16th 2020
IPL 2020: KKR's current top 2 wicket-takers unlikely to feature in first 3-4 games
Several IPL 2020 cricketers, including some from the Kolkata Knight Riders line-up, are slated to take part in the upcoming CPL 2020 season from August 18.
The upcoming Caribbean Premier League 2020 (CPL 2020) season is the eighth edition of the tournament. It is currently on schedule to commence on August 18 to run until September 10. Around 33 matches will be played among six star-studded franchises across two venues of Trinidad and Tobago. While the tournament brings good news for T20 fans in the Caribbean, it comes at an expense of fans of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders.
Sunil Narine, Andre Russell likely to miss Kolkata Knight Riders initial IPL 2020 campaign
Immediately after the CPL 2020, cricket fans will be treated with the much-awaited IPL 2020 season. The IPL 2020 is scheduled to launch in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 19 onwards. However, several cricketers currently contracted to play the CPL 2020 are also signed on to represent their respective IPL 2020 franchises. Even though there is a gap of nine days between the two tournaments, the ongoing coronavirus crisis, travel restrictions and following the social distancing norms and biosecurity measures are likely to put some players at risk of missing out on the first few IPL 2020 matches.
The IPL 2020 franchise set to be impacted a lot by the Caribbean T20 carnival is the Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata Knight Riders line-up. Two of their most successful contemporary bowlers and premier cricketers, i.e. Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, will both be seen honouring their CPL 2020 commitments. While Sunil Narine is slated to ironically represent the KKR-owned Trinbago Knight Riders, Russell will be representing the Jamaica Tallawahs franchise.
Narine is the highest wicket-taker of all-time for KKR with 122 wickets in 110 matches, while Russell has taken 54 wickets in 57 games. The third-best bowler in the current squad is Kuldeep Yadav, who is expected to take the maximum responsibility of the bowling attack in their absence. The Indian left-arm spinner has taken 39 wickets for KKR in 40 matches for the franchise.
According to the reported biosecurity measures imposed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the IPL 2020 Governing Council, players will have to quarantine themselves for 72 hours after reaching the UAE. Moreover, the travelling arrangements for both Sunil Narine and Andre Russell can turn out to be a bit tricky for the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise considering the presence of an ongoing global pandemic. After looking at several factors, it is highly possible that the two West Indian T20 behemoths are likely to not feature in the first few Kolkata Knight Riders matches this year.
With the likes of Pat Cummins and Eoin Morgan also scheduled to arrive late in the UAE due to Australia's confirmed white-ball tour of England, it is likely that KKR would either play Tom Banton, Chris Green, Harry Gurney, Lockie Ferguson together or will have to choose from these four depending on the opposition and conditions and go for more Indian players in their playing XI for the initial part of the competition.
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Image credits: IPLT20.COM
Updated 10:35 IST, August 16th 2020