IPL 2020: 3 players who can replace Ali Khan at KKR if he’s ruled out

Kolkata Knight Riders find themselves in the middle of the points table with two wins and equal losses. Their game plan and tactics have been criticized in these four games and now they have received another bad news. Ali Khan, their newly recruited pace bowler has been suffering from injury and there are chances that he might miss the tournament.

The Pakistani-born USA speedster came in as a replacement for Harry Gurney, who was also ruled out due to an injury. Khan was the first USA player to be signed by the cash-rich league. However, he himself has suffered a shoulder injury without playing any match in the tournament.

KKR have several options in their bowling artillery which is led by Pat Cummins. However, they are struggling with their death bowling as they do not have any death specialist in their line-up. If KKR goes for a replacement for Ali Khan, they would look to recruit a reliable white-ball bowler who can excel in death overs.

Here are the three possible replacements for Ali Khan in IPL 2020:

1. Tim Southee

Tim Southee is one of the most reliable and experienced bowlers in international cricket. The Trent Boult and Tim Southee duo is a vital cog in the New Zealand team. He has played in IPL before and has been associated with RCB and MI.

One of the factors that could go in the 31-year-old’s favour is the immense experience that the pacer possesses. He has played 70 T20Is and 40 IPL games so far. He will bring in the much-needed experience that could be extremely valuable for KKR considering their mixed performance in the first four games.

If KKR opts for Southee as the replacement, their death bowling issues can be solved as Southee is New Zealand’s key death bowler. Also, Pat Cummins and he can form a formidable pair with the new ball as Southee has the ability to swing the ball the initial overs.