fbpx

The SRK owned franchise had won their last title back in 2014. Yes, that’s the year IPL was played in UAE for the first time (few games only). So, do the knights have a good omen to outplay others in the 2020 edition of the Indian premier league? KKR will start their campaign against Mumbai Indians on September 23 at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi

The batting lineup when you look at the core batting of KKR’s its absolute mighty. It has a mix of young as well as experienced lads, big hitters as well as proper anchors. Plenty of options in opening and a flexible batting order where batsmen can be shuffled according to the situation.

When you look at the spinners of KKR, they have got a wonderful variety mixed. With the likes of phenomenal Sunil Narine, there is the extra advantage of having a chinaman. And let’s not forget about the mystery spinner they have in the form of Varun Chakravarthy,.  All three of them along with Chris green as the backup spinner make the core of the KKR spin squad. After the auction, every KKR fan might be quite pleased with the buys of KKR, indeed they should be. But if looked upon keenly, there are few loopholes still persisting.

Who’s the slog over specialist ?

We’ll more or less every team has good batsmen in their line up, but most likely, it’s the bowlers who win you close matches. I’m talking about the death over specialists. Patty Cummins? Oh yeah, he’s one of the best with the new ball in the present times. But in the slog overs, it’s gonna be a challenge coming forth his way this year.

Dre Russ has been good in the slogs too but has been inconsistent partially due to batting order issues. And Prasidh Krishna performance the last year was too exceptional. To be honest, he did a very good job during the death overs and KKR will be hoping to look onto him to deliver. But again Krishna has just played one season in IPL, so he has to make sure there are no changes in his performance from the last year. There’s another last option – I.e. Lockie Ferguson. This is the best death over bowler that KKR has. Lockie has got the slower ones, he also has the perfect Yorkers that is required in deaths. But it would be a real challenge for KKR management to fit Lockie amongst the four overseas.

Dre Russ is the X-Factor of the team. There should be no doubt about his abilities to win match single-handedly. But Russ will be playing back to back two tournaments (20 plus matches) after a 5 months off from cricket. Therefore it’s necessary for him to stay fit. But cricket is a game where anything can happen anytime and a small niggle at your back or shoulder can cost you a couple of important games. I personally feel Harry gurneys exclusion can also turn out to be a blessing in disguise for KKR if they get a good backup for Dre Russ. Perhaps someone like Ben cutting or ‘Captain courageous’, Carlos Braithwaite.

What they did in auction ?

Released- Chris Lynn ad Robin Uthappa

Players Retained– Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Sunil Narine, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh.

Inclusion- Ali Khan, Chris Green, M Siddharth, Nikhil Naik, Pat Cummins, Rahul Tripathi, Tom Banton, Varun Chakravarthy, Eoin Morgan.

Traded in: Siddhesh Lad from Mumbai Indians

Dinesh Karthik– We haven’t seen much of the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman since the world cup 2019. It would be the perfect time to watch out the KKR Skipper making an impact for his team. We all are aware, how brawny he can be with the keeping gloves and bat but this is also the perfect time to showcase his leadership strength.

Shubman Gill – This richly talented batsman from Punjab must be eye-catching to watch as the team looks forward to catch their 3rd IPL trophy. Won’t be too surprised to see him open the innings this season for KKR.

Nitish Rana – This left-handed middle-order batsman has a lot to do this year with the bat in the middle order. He was picked by KKR after Mumbai Indians released him in the 2019 ipl auction. His ability to play accordijg to situation makes him an important entity at the kkr middle order.

Rahul Tripathi– The right-handed opener batsman outplayed for the Rising Pune supergiants in the year. He scored as many as 391 runs in 14 matches in 2017 but failed to gear in the next two seasons for Rajasthan royals. He would be looking for something big this year in KKR Jersey’s.

Eoin Morgan – The left-handed English batsman from Ireland must be a key asset in KKR’s journey this year. With Morgan in the middle, A lot of pressure will be released from the shoulders of their lower-order batting which includes Dinesh Karthik and Andre Russell.

Tom Banton – What a masterclass this player is! He is a complete package of orthodox and unorthodox shots. Many former cricketers believe him to become the next Kevin Pietersen for England and this compliment should be enough for me to describe him.

Andre Russel – The big man Dre Russ, is one of the most loved people of Kolkata after last year’s IPL display. The KKR fans can only wish for raining sixes when he bats. And his all-round display makes him more productive for the team.

Rinku Singh – Although Rinku and Nitish are very close friends. But only one found a permanent place in the team and the other is yet to make. Could this year bring hope for Rinku? We can only wait for the IPL to begin to get our answer.

Siddhesh Lad – A very talented batsman who is yet to make a spotlight in the minds of cricket lovers. He was the leading run-scorer for Mumbai in Ranji 2017-2018. He averages 40 plus in both first-class and List A. He can be a valuable asset to the team if he gets a chance to play.

Pat Cummins – In the last 2-3 years there have been very few bowlers as good with the new ball as Patty Cummins has been. And the best thing is he has been picking wickets, he has improved in the death overs. The knights will be hoping that Patty continues the same form in the IPL too. Not to forget: He is the owner of the highest bid price for this season.

Prasidh Krishna – Who knew that a young lean boy would have come as a replacement and do wonders for KKR. He has improved enormously and has made an impact in the KKR bowling department and shall be looking to do many more this year.

Kamlesh Nagarkoti – The speedster has been suffering a lot since the last two years. But the franchise have been with him and showed the support by including him in the squad for the 3rd year. He would surely give his best shot for his team.

Sunil Narine- The Caribbean allrounder is the oldest member of the present KKR squad. Since his start, he has delivered for the franchise and shall be looking forward to continue with his CPL form in IPL.

Varun Chakravarthy- Came in as a mystery spinner for KXIP in the 2019 season of IPL, but couldn’t make a brew out of it. This is the perfect time for him to show how valuable he can be.

Lockie Ferguson– The best death over bowler that KKR has this year. With time, Lockie has just perfected the art of bowling fast. His ability to bowl lethal bouncers mixed with deadly Yorkers makes him more charismatic.

Chris green–  This Australian spinner can be turn out to be very useful during powerplay overs. Doesn’t turn the ball much, but keeps bowling in tight areas. He has been in good touch in the BBL and also in CPL. Now his only target should be to make a name from IPL.

Sandeep Warrier – Made his entry into the franchise the previous year. He was the leading wicket-taker for Kerala in the 2018-2019 Ranji season claiming as many as 44 wickets. He shall try his best to do the same for KKR this year.

Kuldeep Yadav– the Chinaman would be an interesting entity to watch out in the dry-slow tracks of UAE. He hasn’t been in a great touch for long and should be looking forward to knock as many stumps in this year of IPL.

  • Coaching Staff
Head coachBrendon McCullum
Assistant coachAbhishek Nayar
MentorDavid Hussey
Bowling coachKyle Mills
Assistant bowling coachOmkar Salvi
Fielding coachJames Foster

Probable Playing XI

Openers : Sunil Narine and Shubman Gill

Middle Order: Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, and Dinesh Karthik(c, wk)

Fast Bowlers : Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Prasidh Krishna and Pat Cummins

Spinners : Kuldeep Yadav

By Staff

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *