Kolkata Knight Riders Retain Tim Seifert, Then Troll Chennai Superkings Head Coach Stephen Fleming

Soon after the eight franchises of the Indian Premier League announced the list of retained and released players, the social media banters followed. The latest bit creating a buzz online is Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) taking a jibe at Chennai Super Kings (CSK) over retention of Tim Seifert. Ahead of IPL 2021, KKR revealed that the “Kiwi tug-of-war is settled” as the New Zealand wicket-keeper batsman will play for their side. The official social media handle of the franchise shared a meme featuring KKR coach Brendon McCullum and CSK coach Stephen Fleming.

'Does India Need Virat Kohli the Great Batsman or Mediocre Captain?' - Bedi Wants Ajinkya Rahane to Take Over

The hilarious post shared by Kolkata Knight Riders Instagram included a statement made by Fleming on Seifert. The collage also featured a message from McCullum to Fleming which read, “Dear Flem, Sorry to disappoint. We are keeping him. #IPLretention”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kolkata Knight Riders (@kkriders)

For the unversed, last year, Fleming had made an oblique statement about Seifert during the Pakistan vs New Zealand T20 series. The head coach of CSK was greatly impressed with Seifert’s performance in the series and passed an indirect offer to him to join the Yellow Army.He had hinted that the Chennai based outfit may be interested in the New Zealand batsman for the 14th edition of the IPL.

'Wear That 36 All Out Like a Badge' - R Sridhar Recalls Ravi Shastri's Words After Adelaide Test

“There’s a team in yellow that might have a look at you (Seifert) as well. Not just Brendon McCullum’s team, there are other teams out there,” Fleming was quoted as saying.Tim Seifert didn’t appear in a single match for KKR in IPL 2020 as Dinesh Karthik was the franchise’s first-choice for a wicketkeeper. The Kiwi batsman was taken in the side as a replacement for the injured Ali Khan. However, he did not get to feature in any game.

With his stellar show at the top of the order during Pakistan’s recent tour of New Zealand, Seifert was named Man of the Series. The 26-year-old made half-centuries in all the matches with an impressive strike rate of 139.68.

• brendon mccullum
• chennai super kings
• CSK
• Indian Premier League
• ipl
• IPL 2021
• KKR
• kolkata knight riders
• stephen fleming
• Tim Seifert