Emotions ride high at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). They have a fan base devotedly invested in the side that has seen some of the stalwarts of the sport represent them.
From the signing of Sourav Ganguly as icon player in 2007 to Brendon McCullum setting the Indian Premier League (IPL) ablaze with an unthinkable knock to Gautam Gambhir’s resilience turning the team’s fortune, on and off the field, KKR attracts immense interest. And then, the Shahrukh Khan factor is omnipresent in the larger-than-life franchise.
Set to rebuilding the unit for the next few years, KKR started well in the auction, lost the plot halfway, but recovered with a blend of some frantic and some well-scouted buys. They managed to retain Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi and Nitish Rana, but probably ended up spending more than what they would have liked for the latter two.
Shreyas Iyer’s 12.25 crore drilled a big hole in their pocket, as a result of which they could not risk larger amounts for the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Tim David and Liam Livingstone, who were high on their wish list.
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The general sentiment among the fans is not too upbeat with the current squad. There is too little margin for strategic errors as KKR enter the next phase with a limited squad.
Kolkata Knight Riders squad (prices in INR crores):
- Batters: Shreyas Iyer (12.25), Ajinkya Rahane (1), Alex Hales (1.5), Rinku Singh (0.55), Abhijit Tomar (0.4), Pratham Singh (0.2), Ramesh Kumar (0.2).
- Bowlers: Varun Chakravarthy (8), Umesh Yadav (2), Tim Southee (1.5), Rasikh Salam (0.2), Ashok Sharma (0.55), Shivam Mavi (7.25).
- All-rounders: Pat Cummins (7.25), Mohammad Nabi (1), Sunil Narine (6), Andre Russell (12), Chamika Karunaratne (0.5), Venkatesh Iyer (8), Nitish Rana (8), Aman Khan (0.2), Anukul Roy (0.2).
- Wicketkeepers: Sam Billings (2), Sheldon Jackson (0.6), Baba Indrajith (0.2).
Strengths: KKR have done well to retain their core. In addition to Venkatesh, Narine, Russell, and Chakravarthy, they have bought back Rana and Cummins. Even Jackson and Rinku are familiar faces who have been with the franchise for a considerable time and have been prolific performers at the domestic level.
Leadership played a vital role in their transformation last season. With no Eoin Morgan or Dinesh Karthik, KKR have done well to build a good players’ leadership group around Shreyas, Rahane and Cummins.
At INR 1.5 crores, Hales was a great buy. He will be an important option in the top order. At the top, Venkatesh will partner either Hales or Rahane, depending on their overall composition. Billings and Rana are opening options as well. Knowing their coach McCullum’s preference of an ultra-attacking opening approach, the KKR management can recreate the Narine-Lynn show, with Hales filling in the Lynn blank.
They have an enviable army of all-rounders. A fit Russell can change the tournament’s momentum on his own. Cummins comes with a renewed approach – and reputation – as Australia’s Test captain. Nabi is an excellent buy at that price. Then there are Venkatesh, Karunaratne, Rana, and Anukul.
In Cummins, Southee, Mavi, Umesh, Narine and Chakravarthy, they have a good attack, and the presence of the other all-rounders further help bolster it. Nabi, Karunaratne, Hales, Billings and Southee are good back-ups.
Players to watch out for: Venkatesh, Shreyas, Hales, Russell, Narine, Chakravarthy, Mavi and Cummins.
Weakness: Their batting order does not inspire enough confidence. Such is their composition that they can play Hales or Billings but not both. If Billings sits out, Jackson keeps wicket. With due respect to Jackson’s longevity in domestic cricket, his T20 record is relatively modest (average 29, strike rate 121). The other option is Baba Indrajith, a batter of classical mould with a poor T20, and, at best, an occasional wicketkeeper. The management's boldness will be tested in choosing between an unproven keeper against their mystery spinners or leaving out a power-hitter like Hales.
Rahane’s batting in T20s is only suited for the Powerplay overs. If he does not open, he adds little value as a batter. Rana is the only specialist left-handed batter in the middle-order, but unlike most southpaws, he struggles against the ball coming into him and thrives against off-spin. The KKR unit will have genuine issues against leg-spinners and left-arm orthodox.
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Concerns: The all-round ability in the batting department looks concerning. There is hype around Shreyas. He may turn out to be a capable captain, but there are clearly chinks in the armour. His susceptibility against short bowling is not unknown. Is he the same aggressive batter from his early days? Since 2020, his T20 strike rate has been 123.
Lockie Ferguson’s absence will be a huge gap to be filled. Though KKR have back-ups for their leading players, there is a difference in quality. Nabi for Narine or Karunaratne for Russell are unlikely to have the same impact.
There is an overreliance on players who have not proved themselves consistently at the higher levels, including the IPL.
Kolkata Knight Riders likely XI: Venkatesh Iyer, Alex Hales, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, Sheldon Jackson (wk), Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Sunil Narine, Shivam Mavi, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy
or
Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, Sam Billings (wk), Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Sunil Narine, Shivam Mavi, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy.