3 Players Who Can Replace Nitish Rana In KKR Squad If He Gets Banned In IPL 2020: The young Delhi batsman, Nitish Rana might be in trouble in the time to come for fudging his age in the past. Manjot Kalra, who has already been banned from playing age-group cricket for two years, earned a name for himself with a century in the U-19 World Cup Final against Australia to take his side over the line.
With Rana also being under the scanner, it is possible that the Delhi vice-captain might face a ban for at least a year which will force him to miss the upcoming IPL in 2020. This will be a matter of concern for his IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, for whom Rana made the starting XI in almost all matches in 2019. Rana’s exclusion will leave KKR in search of a reliable middle-order Indian batsman who can deliver for the Purple squad in IPL 2020.
Here we take a look at 3 players who can replace Nitish Rana at KKR if he gets banned:
1. Yusuf Pathan
The veteran Indian cricketer, Yusuf Pathan went unsold in the IPL auction 2020 after he was released by his former franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of this year’s auction. However, Pathan might still have a role to play in the IPL as KKR might approach him as an option to replace Rana in the middle-order. The Baroda batsman, who witnessed some of his best IPL moments with the franchise, might reunite yet again as someone who is still capable enough to play as a regular in the middle-order. Pathan, with his power-hitting, is still one of the better players to cause mayhem with his bat. With a strike rate in upwards of 140, Pathan is a decent choice to even finish the game alongside Russell in the back-end of the innings.
2. Manoj Tiwary
The former Bengal skipper, Manoj Tiwary yet again failed to induce any bid in the IPL auction for the next season. Tiwary, who last played as a middle-order batsman for KXIP in IPL 2018, didn’t get enough opportunities to make a mark in the season. As a result, he went unsold in IPL 2019. However, he might be in the fray for possible inclusion in the KKR squad ahead of the next season. Tiwary is a Rana-like batsman who can accumulate and even go berserk to muster runs at a quick pace. He is an ex-KKR player which might also help his cause if the management considers to rope him as a replacement to Rana.
3. Hanuma Vihari
The Indian middle-order batsman, Hanuma Vihari entered the auction with a hope to attract a bid from any of the franchises. However, India’s Test regular, Vihari didn’t fit in any of the teams’ scheme of things. With enough experience of playing in the middle-order, Vihari might also consider himself in the race as a replacement to Nitish in the KKR setup ahead of IPL 2020. However, the Andhra batsman hasn’t done enough in the past to impress with his exploits in the T20 format even at the domestic level. He is a bank in the longest format but his abilities in the shortest-format still pose a question. He was unlucky in the last IPL where Delhi Capitals couldn’t find a place for Viharin the middle-order as he was seen warming the benches for a majority of the season.
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