Kolkata Knight Riders have hired England's limited-overs analyst Nathan Leamon as their strategic consultant ahead of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. According to ESPNCricinfo, Leamon will be involved in the decision-making process in the IPL 2021 auction, which will take place on Feburary 18 in Chennai.
It is further reported that Leamon will take a leave of absence from England national cricket team for the duration of IPL 2021. KKR is led by Leamon's fellow Englishman and the captain of England's white-ball team, Eoin Morgan.
In December last year, Leamon was involved in a controversy when he was spotted by the broadcasters passing coded signals to the England players from the dressing room. He placed two clipboards, one with a number on a sheet and the other with a letter, during the recently concluded T20I series between England and South Africa.
Morgan was also shown turning towards the analyst in the dugout and he later said that it was a system he used to compare decision-making on the field with that of those made with "hard data".
Morgan was named the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders during the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League when wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik abrupty stood down from the role.
KKR narrowly missed the qualification spot for play-offs in IPL 2020, finishing at fifth in the league table.
Leamon was previously worked with Pakistan Super League (PSL) side Multan Sultans.
