New Zealand’s experienced fast bowlers will replace Australia Pat Cummins, who dropped out of the league due to “personal reasons”.
“Cummins made himself unavailable for this season due to personal reasons. Southee has vast experience in 305 international games with 603 wickets for the Kiwis,” said the two-time former champion. KKR announced on Thursday.
Officially a Knight Kiwi pacer #TimSouthee will donate to Don for the UAE leg of #IPL2021. You’re welcome, Tim. #KKR… https://t.co/N2cXc3obkO
— Kolkata Knight Riders (@KKRiders) 1629976637000
Cummins, who was signed for Rs 15.5 crore for the IPL 2020 season, has been a key member of his team and played all his seven matches this season, picking up nine wickets and scoring 93 runs, including the career-high against Chennai. Including best 66 runs. Super Kings.
The third highest wicket-taker in T20I cricket, with 99 wickets in 83 matches, Southee has been a part of Rajasthan Royals, CSK, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the past.
Now he will reunite with his former captain Brendon McCullum as the head coach of KKR.
“We are delighted to have Southee in our ranks. He is a proven match winner and a welcome addition to KKR’s already strong pace attack. With Cummins unavailable we wanted to add experience and leadership to our bowling group and Southee is the ideal person for the job,” McCullum told the KKR website.
IPL franchises Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings have also announced replacements in their respective teams for the remainder of the 14th season of the league.
RCB have included Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga in place of Australia’s Adam Zampa. In the recent three-match T20I series against India in Sri Lanka, Hasaranga took a total of seven wickets including taking four wickets in the final T20I.
Other replacements for RCB are Dushmantha Chameera for Daniel Sams, left-arm pacer George Garten for Kane Richardson and Tim David for New Zealand’s Finn Allen.
Meanwhile, RR have brought in New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Glenn Phillips as a replacement for England’s Jofra Archer.
Phillips has played 25 T20Is so far and has 506 runs to his name. He has scored one hundred and two half-centuries and his strike-rate is 149.70.
South Africa’s Tabrez Shamsi has been included in the Rajasthan Royals squad in place of Andrew Tye.
PBKS have signed Australian fast bowler Nathan Ellis for Riley Meredith.
Ellis was recently in the limelight after her hat-trick on her international debut against Bangladesh earlier this month. The right-arm pacer is one of the reserve players in Australia’s 2021 T20I World Cup squad. PBKS have also picked up England leg-spinner Adil Rashid in place of Jhye Richardson.
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