IPL 2019 | KKR sign Sandeep Warrier as replacement as Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti ruled out

03/14/2019

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Kolkata Knight Riders will start the 2019 campaign quite like their previous one as they were dealt a blow with both Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti ruled out of the tournament with injuries. KKR have decided to sign up Sandeep Warrier as a replacement for the upcoming edition of the league.

Shivam Mavi, who was picked up in last season’s auction by KKR, was handed a debut in his maiden campaign. He played nine matches in his debut campaign and ended up with five wickets. However, he would be restricted to a watching role this time around as he has suffered a back stress fracture ahead of the tournament.

But that was not where the bad news stopped for the two time champions. Kamlesh Nagarkoti, who was a revelation in the India U-19s successful campaign in the World Cup last year, has also been sidelined for the entire tournament with a back injury. Having been bought for a massive 3.2 crores in the mega auction last year, the youngster had suffered an injury before the tournament and had to be restricted to the bench.

KKR have decided to act quickly and have gone ahead and signed up Sandeep Warrier as a replacement for the duo. Warrier, who had thrown his name into the auction this year, had been ignored by franchises in the auction despite some impressive performances in the Ranji Trophy.

Warrier has been particularly impressive in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Tournament where he picked up eight wickets in six games. The highlight of the campaign though was when he was able to pick up a hat-trick against Andhra for his Kerala side. Even though he was not picked up in the auction this year, he had been a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore side between 2013 and 2015 but did not play a single game for the three-time runner-ups.

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