- Name: Kolkata Knight Riders
- Captain: Eoin Morgan
- Head Coach: Brendon McCullum
- Home Ground: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
- Squad members: 25
- Best result: Champions in IPL 2012, 2014
- IPL 2020 result: 5th on points table
If Mumbai has won it 5 times and Chennai has won it 3 times, Kolkata Knight Riders has also won the Indian Premier League (IPL) twice in the past. However, I wouldn’t say that IPL 2020 was the best season for them. After starting the season well, they slid and failed to qualify for the playoffs. One of the strongest teams on paper, this team has struggled with team combinations and the right batting order since a few years now!
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When we say batting order, we noticed last year how Eoin Morgan, one of the deadliest T20 cricketers across the globe, didn’t even get to face many balls per game as he was batting down at #5 and even #6 sometimes. To make matters worse, he got a best score of only 28 in 5 international games in the 2021 England tour of India, which wouldn’t have boosted his confidence ahead of the IPL 2021 season at all.
They have Shubman Gill at the top of the order who has almost cemented his position as an opener for KKR but everything else is unsteady. There’s the super-consistent Rahul Tripathi but he’s no slogger and it’s a waste with him batting down at #6 and #7, while the hope of Sunil Narine getting the team off to a good start makes him another option to be an opener. The team is heavy on batting talent but can’t find the right order as of now.
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Leaving Chris Lynn out was actually a good idea it but they also have an overseas quota dilemma now. Captain Morgan, Narine and Andre Russell are certain starters which puts them in a huge soup for that fourth overseas slot. Tim Seifert was purchased at the IPL 2021 Auction and I don’t see him getting many games. Pat Cummins and Lockie Ferguson are among the best pacers in the world right now, but only one may slot into the playing eleven. Let’s not forget they also have Harry Gurney.
To make matters worse, they purchased two more all-rounders at the IPL 2021 Auction. This includes Bangladesh stalwart Shakib al Hasan and the big Aussie Ben Cutting. The latter doesn’t have big exploits in India and he’s likely to come in only in case Dre Russ gets injured through the IPL 2021 season. As for Shakib, we see him coming into the side as a replacement for Narine, the latter not being the best in recent years.
The pace bowling department of KKR is what will impress you the most. Cummo and Ferguson are big pacers, but there’s a young Indian attack in there as well. Shivam Mavi (9 wickets) and Kamlesh Nagarkoti (5 wickets) impressed in IPL 2020 but a lot of eyes are going to be on Prasidh Krishna who got only 4 wickets in 6 games last season but he’s now got international experience under his belt, recording the best figures for an Indian on ODI debut.
KKR – IPL 2021 Betting
With Dinesh Karthik, Morgan and Andre Russell in the death overs, KKR has the ability to go berserk in the backend of their innings but they need to show stability and faith in their players. However, players like Tripathi and Gill will need to be opening as you don’t want these players batting post the 12-14 over mark, given the kind of firepower they have waiting in the shed at all times.
We think KKR is a super strong team on paper but finding the right team is going to a struggle in IPL 2021 too. On the spin front, Varun Chakaravarthy was their leading wicket-taker last year but he’s been struggling with fitness of late which didn’t allow him to make his India debut. Shakib and Narine may fight for a spot and if an extra spinner is needed, Harbhajan Singh may get the nod ahead of Kuldeep Yadav who is low on confidence yet again!
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS IPL 2021 squad: Eoin Morgan (C), Dinesh Karthik, Andre Russell, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Rahul Tripathi, Varun Chakravarthy, Pawan Negi, Tim Seifert, Shakib al Hasan, Karun Nair, Harbhajan Singh, Ben Cutting, Sheldon Jackson, Vaibhav Arora, Venkatesh Iyer,
Rinku Singh, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Sandeep Warrier.
While he’s unlikely to get much of game time, we think Pawan Negi is someone who can make a huge difference to any franchise with his wicket-taking ability as well as hitting ability. Will KKR lift the title in IPL 2021? My heart says yes but my head shouts out a big NO! For more updates on KKR’s progress through IPL 2021, you can stay tuned to ReadScoops.com…
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