"It will be difficult for them": Harbhajan Singh on KKR's retentions ahead of IPL 2024

Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 Retentions, former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh said that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will face difficulties to leave or retain players. KKR lifted their third title under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer after thumping Sunrisers Hyderabad by 8 wickets. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Star Sports, Harbhajan praised the Kolkata-based franchise and said that they dominated the previous season. The former cricketer also named the players who should be retained for the upcoming season of the T20 tournament.

Harbhajan added that Ramandeep Singh should be retained as an uncapped player as he has performed well in IPL 2024 and also in the domestic cricket. "KKR dominated the entire season, so it will be difficult for them to leave or retain anyone. But it's a matter of retention, so you only have limited numbers that you can retain. If I want to see or if I have to choose my 6 players, which 6 players will be there for KKR?"

"I think Shreyas Iyer will be there, Phil Salt will be there, Narine will be there, Andre Russell will be there, Rinku Singh will be there. I will definitely want to see Rinku Singh. He should be the 5th player to be retained. And if we talk about one more player, who is the last player to be retained? It could be Ramandeep Singh.He is an uncapped player. I think he should be retained. He played very well last year and I have seen his performance in domestic cricket this year as well. So I think this 6th player, Knight Rider, will be retained," Harbhajan was quoted in a release from Star Sports as saying.

Earlier in September, the Kolkata-based franchise announced former West Indies all-rounder Bravo as the franchise's new mentor, succeeding Gautam Gambhir. Bravo retired from international cricket in 2021 and decided to end his time in the Indian Premier League last year. In the past year, Dwayne Bravo shifted his focus to coaching roles, featuring for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Afghanistan. Bravo's stint with KKR will be his second coaching role in the cash-rich league. He joined the Chennai Super Kings in 2011, retired from the franchise in 2022, and in 2023 joined the five-time champions as the bowling coach. (ANI)