The young Indian fast bowler, Shivam Mavi has been in the headlines for the age-fraud of late. Mavi had represented India in the 2018 U19 World Cup hence, it is surprising to see his name being involved along with Nitish Rana and Manjot Kalra in this case.

Shivam Mavi plays for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League and if BCCI finds his documents faulty, then the fast bowler could get a suspension. This suspension may rule him out of the tournament hence, Kolkata would look for a replacement who could fill in the place of Mavi.

Here are the 3 players who can replace Shivam Mavi at KKR in IPL 2020:

1. Rahul Shukla

 

Jharkhand’s right-arm fast bowler, Rahul Shukla was deemed to be the next big thing in Indian cricket however, his inconsistency did not allow him to get into the national team. Shukla has been a part of three IPL franchises namely Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.

Speaking about his performances in the shortest format of the game, the 29-year-old has played 47 T20 matches where he has picked up 52 wickets. His best figures in T20 cricket are 5/36 whereas his economy rate is 8.16.

Although his economy rate is above 8, he can be a good wicket-taking option for Kolkata Knight Riders. Rahul can form a lethal combination with Pat Cummins and Lockie Ferguson in KKR’s pace attack if signed as the replacement for Mavi.

2. Kulwant Khejroliya

Hailing from Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, Kulwant Khejroliya has the potential to become the best left-arm bowler of the country however, he has not received proper opportunities yet. He has been a part of Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore but he could not make an impact in the IPL.

The left-arm fast bowler has played 27 T20s in his career taking 17 wickets while giving away runs at a decent economy rate of 7.46. His bowling strike rate of 18.60 indicates that he is a wicket-taking bowler who can provide the team with some important wickets in the middle.

With Pat Cummins, Andre Russell and Lockie Ferguson present in the team, the team management of Kolkata Knight Riders would like to have a left-handed fast bowler in their team and Khejroliya is the best available option among the unsold Indian players.

3. Abhimanyu Mithun

Former Royal Challengers Bangalore star, Abhimanyu Mithun had gained the fans’ attention with his miraculous final over in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Haryana. The right-arm pacer ended the innings with figures of 5/39 and helped Karnataka in winning the championship.

He has played for Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL thus, he has a good amount of T20 experience. Besides, he has even represented India at the international level. Thus, Mithun could have been a valuable addition to any IPL team.

Surprisingly, none of the teams went after him in the IPL Auction 2020 however, Kolkata Knight Riders can include him in their team as Shivam Mavi’s replacement. It will be interesting to see what happens next in Shivam’s age fraud case and which player dons the KKR jersey in his place.