Kolkata Knight Riders have signed Tim Southee for the remaining 31 matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021). A franchise official has confirmed the signing of the New Zealand pacer for Cricbuzz on Thursday (26 August). Southee replaced Pat Cummins, who withdrew from the second edition of the IPL citing personal reasons.
Unsold in 2020 auction
Southee remained unsold in the 2020 auction after playing six consecutive years in the IPL. His most occasional appearance came in the 2019 edition, when he switched to RCB, finishing with an economy rate of 13 in the three matches he played.
The 32-year-old right-arm pacer previously played for Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians (MI), and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He took 28 wickets in 40 IPL matches at an economy rate of 8.47.
KKR official said
A KKR official said, “Southey has been a strong player and also the captain of the New Zealand team, we hope he will be effective in the UAE environment.” The amount of the signing is not known but Cummins was bought by the Kolkata franchise in the 2019 IPL auction for 15.5 crores.
Southee who would be the third New Zealander in the KKR squad was expected to be part of the NZ squad for their double tours to Bangladesh and Pakistan. while he was not named in the final squad under Tom Latham.
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KKR head coach Brendon McCullum, who has been away from the Caribbean Premier League (starting on Thursday), is expected to take charge of KKR in the UAE. “He will be back for the IPL,” said the official of KKR, which owns the Trinbago Knight Riders team in the CPL.
Tim Southee will provide inspiration
Kolkata Knight Riders are seventh in the IPL points list with four points from seven matches with two wins. They are hoping Tim Southee will provide inspiration. “He will be the backup of Lockie Ferguson. With his new ball dexterity, he should be very effective in UAE conditions,” the KKR official said.
