The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 Auction is knocking at the door and we can expect some high-profile bidding that will be taking place on 19th December 2023 at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.
The retentions are over and teams have also presented their final squads alongside their list of released players. One of the most compact and dynamic batters of India, Manish Pandey is all set to be back at the auction pool on 19th December 2023.
Pandey plied his trade for Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2023 and had mustered 160 runs in 10 matches for the Delhi-based franchise. He didn’t have a good season for them and this was one of the main reasons why Delhi decided to release him.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have released several of their top players ahead of the auctions and have Rs.32.70 crores left in their purse. They might target their former player, Manish Pandey.
In this article, we take a look at 3 reasons why Manish Pandey might return to Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024:
1. Decorated past with KKR
Manish Pandey has previously played for Kolkata Knight Riders and has a rich and decorated past with them. He has played for the 2-time IPL champions for 4 seasons and would be looking to pick up from where he left off.
He had a stellar season with the Knights in IPL 2014 and was adjudged the player of the match in the finals against Kings XI Punjab for scoring 94 runs in 50 deliveries. Pandey is considered as one of the legends of KKR and KKR would be looking to re-unite him with his old franchise.
2. Good equation with Gautam Gambhir
KKR’s most successful captain, Gautam Gambhir has staged a comeback into the franchise as their mentor. Now during Gambhir’s reign as captain in Kolkata Knight Riders, Manish Pandey was one of his most trusted warriors.
When KKR lifted the title in IPL 2014, Manish Pandey had played a pivotal role in their title-winning campaign. He had scored 401 runs in IPL 2014 and had an average of 30.84. Gambhir would definitely push for him to come back into the scheme of things at KKR.
3. Will bring in depth to the middle-order
In IPL 2023, there was over-reliance and over-dependency on Rinku Singh at KKR. He was the sole performer with the bat alongside some good knocks from stand-in-skipper, Nitish Rana.
If Manish Pandey returns to the set-up at KKR, the batting depth would increase and the openers would get a free-hand. Not to forget, KKR’s regular skipper Shreyas Iyer is also set to return to the mix after missing out on IPL 2023 because of a back injury.
Also read: KL Rahul Gives Huge Update About Rinku Singh & Sanju Samson
