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Updated February 16th, 2021 at 11:05 IST

Gautam Gambhir calls ex-team KKR's batting 'Classless', names their most unfit star player

Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir criticised Kolkata Knight Riders' batting line-up and questioned one top players' fitness ahead of the auction.

Reported by: Aakash Saini
Gautam Gambhir
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Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir has some extended advice for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League 2021 (IPL 2021) season’s auction. During his playing days, Gambhir represented the franchise and even led them to two IPL titles, in 2012 and 2014. According to the cricketer-turned-commentator, KKR did a commendable job during retentions by retaining as many as 18 of their players.

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Gautam Gambhir on KKR players batting, questions Andre Russell’s fitness

Gautam Gambhir was recently involved in a conversation on the Star Sports Network. The former KKR skipper said that the Eoin Morgan-led side does not have a “lot of gaps” to fill at the auction. However, he later added that they do require an ideal back-up for their West Indian powerhouse Andre Russell. Gambhir believes that Russell has got some “serious injury issues” and he has doubts over the all-rounder’s ability to play all the 14 league matches.

Gambhir’s comments on Russell came after the all-rounder had a quiet outing in the previous edition of the IPL. Back then, the West Indies T20 giant played just 10 matches across the season where he scored just 117 runs and picked only six wickets.

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Gautam Gambhir also criticised KKR’s batting by saying there is not “much class” in their line-up barring Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana. He said that while Dinesh Karthik is someone who can hurt his opponents in T20s, he does not face many deliveries as he bats lower down the order. According to Gambhir, wicketkeeper-batsman Karthik can still be a finisher for KKR but while batting at No.3 for them.

However, the 2011 World Cup-winner also had some words of admiration for his former IPL franchise. He lauded KKR for their auction strategy, saying they did well by “not releasing too many players” from their squad. Ahead of the IPL 2021 auction, here is a look at the list of all KKR players who were retained by the franchise.

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IPL auction 2021 date and time: Where to watch the IPL auction live streaming

The forthcoming IPL auction is scheduled to take place after the second Test match between India and England in Chennai. The event will take place on February 18, from 3 PM (IST). The live telecast of the auction will commence from 2 PM (IST) on the Star Sports Network. Moreover, the IPL auction live streaming will also be made available on the Disney+ Hotstar app.

IPL auction 2021 date and time: A detailed look

Also Read | Steve Smith Makes Strong Statement Before IPL Auction, Fans Urge Teams To Pick Him: WATCH

Image source: PTI and IPLT20.COM

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Published February 16th, 2021 at 11:05 IST

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