Reports | KKR rope in Tim Southee for remainder of IPL 2021

KKR have signed up Tim Southee for the remainder of IPL 2021, reported Cricbuzz on Thursday, August 26. Southee is understood to have replaced Pat Cummins, who has pulled out of the tournament citing personal reasons.

"Tim has been a strong player and has been the spearhead of the New Zealand team. In the UAE conditions, we hope he will be very effective," a KKR official said, reported Cricbuzz.

Southee, who has represented Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore previously, has bagged 28 wickets from 40 games till date. In his most recent season, in 2019, he returned with one wicket from three outings while conceding at 13.11, and had gone unsold in the 2020 auctions.

The 32-year-old will be the third New Zealander in the squad, alongside Lockie Ferguson and Tim Seifert. Ferguson had tested Covid positive in the UK earlier this week, while featuring at the Vitality T20 Blast 2021, where he represents Yorkshire.

With two wins from seven games, KKR, led by Eoin Morgan, are currently placed seventh in the points table. They will take on RCB in their first game of the second leg in Abu Dhabi on September 20. The showpiece T20 tournament, which was postponed in May due to Covid-19 outbreak inside bio-bubbles, will resume from September 19 with Mumbai Indians (MI) taking on Chennai Super Kings (CSK).