End of Shakib era, it's time for Litton to shine for KKR

With Shakib Al Hasan already taking himself out of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, all the limelight will be on Litton Das to see how he fares in his debut IPL season.

It has been reported that as both Shakib and Litton were to miss a sizable portion of their IPL fixtures due to international commitments with Bangladesh, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) also proposed Litton opt out of the tournament so that they could rope in a replacement. 

However, as Litton refused the proposal and is looking forward to taking part in the coveted league for the first time, it will be interesting to see if he could make up for the lost time with his willow.

KKR have already signed England's Jason Roy for INR 2.8 crore for the remainder of IPL 2023 from his base price of INR 1.5 crore after losing their captain Shreyas Iyer to injury while Shakib also confirmed his unavailability for the season. 

There is a chance that Litton will feature for KKR as early as 9 April in the away match against Gujarat Titans. And even if he doesn't, he could most definitely make his much anticipated IPL debut at the iconic Eden Gardens on 14 April against Sunrisers Hyderabad. 

As of now, Litton is likely to be given NOC to partake in the IPL until Bangladesh's three-match ODI series with Ireland in Chelmsford from 9 to 14 May. Though he might even have to leave much earlier, as the Tigers are scheduled to play a warm-up match against Ireland Wolves on 5 May.

But if playing in that match is not mandatory for Litton, he could feature on 4 May's fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad as well, before flying for England. 

So, in between the home series against Ireland and the return tour of England to play against the Irish, Litton will get to play a maximum of eight matches for KKR. 

Again, he might rejoin the KKR camp once the Ireland series is done and dusted. KKR will play their last group stage game against Lucknow Super Giants on 20 May. 

Then, if KKR make it to the qualifiers, they could also play a maximum of another three matches, provided they also reach the final. 

In all, Litton has a chance to be available for as many as 12 matches for KKR, as opposed to missing out on only five occasions. 

Interestingly, KKR bought Litton for a meagre price of INR 50 lakh. But given the great run of form,he has been in lately in limited-overs cricket - with three 70-plus knocks in his last seven innings - the wicketkeeper-batter could in all probability become one of his team's most valuable players. 

But more importantly, with the 50-over World Cup slated to be held in India later this year, Litton's time in the IPL - even if just at the dugouts - might prove to be priceless for Bangladesh.

And who knows, if the right-hander is able to strike a form from the word go for KKR, then there could also be a change of mind from the BCB higher-ups to acquit him from the UK tour to continue in the IPL. 

Needless to say, Litton's inclusion in the squad will be a huge boost for KKR, who have so far won one and lost one match in the ongoing tournament.

However, he will face stiff competition from KKR's Afghani acquisition Rahmanullah Gurbaz - also a wicketkeeper-batter playing in the opening slot - to get into the playing XI. 

In the first two matches, Gurbaz settled in rather impressively, smashing 16-ball 22 and 44-ball 57 respectively.

But apart from the on-field perspective, the arrival of Litton could also benefit KKR in terms of somewhat an image recovery, as they have so far been highly criticised by a section of the audience for not including any player from Bengal. 

Ironically, in Thursday's match between KKR and Royal Challengers Bangalore at Eden Gardens, the Faf du Plessis-led side had two players from Bengal, in the form of Akash Deep and Shahbaz Ahmed, while the home team had zero Bengal representation.

Over the years, Shakib had the onus of representing Bengal - though from this side of the border - in the KKR squad, and now the baton could very well be passed on to a deserving candidate like Litton. 

Now the only question remains: if given a chance, can Litton really prove his mettle?