"I don't feel KKR will think about Mitchell Starc" - RP Singh on Kolkata Knight Riders' potential retentions ahead of IPL 2025 auction

RP Singh reckons the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) might not consider Mitchell Starc a potential retention option ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. He pointed out that the Australian seamer predominantly had an indifferent run in IPL 2024 and hasn't been too impressive in international cricket after that either.

KKR acquired Starc for a whopping ₹24.75 crore at the IPL 2024 auction. The left-arm pacer picked up 17 wickets in 13 innings during the season but conceded an average of 10.61 runs per over.

During a discussion on Colors Cineplex, RP Singh replied in the negative when asked whether KKR would be tempted to retain Starc ahead of the auction.

"They will not have the temptation of Mitchell Starc, that's what I feel, because even last year, he made an impact only in the big matches, and his recent performances have not been that good as well. So I don't feel KKR will think about Mitchell Starc," he said.

The former India pacer doesn't see the defending champions retaining Nitish Rana either.

"If I tell my five or six players here, Aakash bhai (Chopra) spoke about Nitish Rana but his recent performance has not been that good. He can be a good option as a left-handed batter but I don't think they will go with him," RP Singh observed.

Rana captained KKR in IPL 2023 in Shreyas Iyer's absence. He could play only two games this year due to an injury sustained while fielding, aggregating 42 runs at a strike rate of 123.52.

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"The captain will remain with them" - RP Singh on KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer

In the same discussion, RP Singh opined that Shreyas Iyer, Varun Chakaravarthy, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell will be four of the five capped retentions for the Kolkata Knight Riders. He reckons the franchise might choose Venkatesh Iyer ahead of Rinku Singh as the fifth capped retention.

"The captain will remain with them. Along with Varun Chakaravarthy, they will have Sunil Narine, Andre Russell and Rinku Singh. I will not leave Rinku Singh but I feel the franchise might be considering Venkatesh Iyer better," he said.

"Both players are with them for a long time. I will go with Rinku Singh but the franchise might think differently. These are my players. Among the uncapped players, no special name is being seen, whom you can keep," RP Singh added.

Venkatesh amassed 370 runs at a strike rate of 158.79 in 13 innings in IPL 2024. Rinku, who didn't get to face too many deliveries throughout this year's tournament, aggregated 168 runs at a strike rate of 148.67 in 11 innings.