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Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s blazing 100 in KKR’s intra-squad game has created a selection headache, as his ideal No.3 spot looks crowded despite his match-winning knock.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi in the KKR practice match.
(PC: KKR)
Angkrish Raghuvanshi has given Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and head coach Abhishek Nayar a good headache by scoring a sizzling century in a pre-season intra-squad practice match at the Eden Gardens on Friday (March 20). The 20-year-old batted at number three and hit nine fours and five sixes, at an overall strike-rate of 187.27, to help his side ‘Purple Knights’ chase down a 200-run target in 19.2 overs.
In this team, team captain Ajinkya Rahane opened the innings and scored 2 (4), alongside Finn Allen, who contributed a brisk 23 (11). Manish Pandey and Ramandeep Singh failed to impress at numbers four and five, but all-rounder Anukul Roy contributed a good 28 (17) to help Angkrish in the final phase. Notably, though, the bowling attack comprised Umran Malik, Prashant Solanki, Daksh Kamra, and some net bowlers.
In the first innings, Tim Seifert scored 30 (13), and Delhi’s Sarthak Ranjan (37 off 16) also impressed. But perhaps most importantly for KKR, senior batter Rinku Singh came good with a brilliant 45 off 25. The bowling attack for this innings was more first-choice. Kartik Tyagi was superb for his 3/30 in four overs, Vaibhav Arora took 2/41, and new signing Blessing Muzarabani bowled three overs for 1/30.
Four key players are yet to join the squad: Sunil Narine, Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, and Matheesha Pathirana, who’s injured. But some takeaways could be taken from this game.
Firstly, the pitches at the Eden Gardens could again be on the flatter side this season. Then, KKR would be happy to see Tyagi perform like he did, for he has a high ceiling, and he could be good enough to fill the huge gap left by Harshit Rana’s serious knee trouble. Speaking of bowlers, Umran Malik bowled 3.2 overs, too, which is a good sign for him and the franchise, even though he didn’t pick up any wickets.
Angkrish’s century is a tricky one. Ideally, KKR would love to give him the same position, number three, but that’s hard to envisage in this team. Rahane is not the ideal fit for a T20 top-order position, but the franchise has stuck with him as the captain. That means if KKR decide to play both in-form batters Allen and Seifert, plus Green, then the top-four would be booked, pushing Raghuvanshi down the order just like last season.
March 20, 2026, 23:43 IST
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