Best Playing XI for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2023

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) walked into the 2022 season of the IPL 2023 under the new leadership of Shreyas Iyer and would have hoped to bag the IPL crown for the third time. But, they failed to put on a string of victories and finished at the seventh position with six wins from 14 games.

In a bid to vindicate themselves, KKR let go of a total of 16 players from their squad. They were quite active in the trading window and added the likes of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Lockie Ferguson, and Shardul Thakur to their arsenal. The Kolkata franchise has also made some smart buys at the auction. For instance, they picked quality players like David Wiese, Shakib Al Hasan, and Litton Das at their base price. As KKR look to put on an improved show in the 16th IPL edition, let us look at what their best starting XI looks like.

Strongest Playing XI for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2023

1. Venkatesh Iyer

Venkatesh Iyer took the second half of IPL 2021 by storm with his breathtaking performances. He took top-quality attacks to the cleaners with his stroke play and provided his side with brisk starts. The 27-year-old scored 370 runs in 10 games at a strike rate of 128.47. Also, he was handy with his medium-pace and bagged three scalps at an economy of 8.11.

Venkatesh’s batting exploits were instrumental in KKR reaching the finals of the tournament and thus, the team management retained him for the 2022 season. However, the southpaw was quite mediocre with his performances and could score only 182 runs in 12 matches at a strike rate of 107.69. Also, he was not able to have any impact with the ball.

Venkatesh adds depth to the side due to his all-round prowess and therefore, Kolkata have stuck with him for the upcoming edition. The Indore-born showed his brilliance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022, smashing 189 runs in four games at a strike rate of 161.53 and bagging six wickets for Madhya Pradesh before getting ruled out of the competition due to an ankle injury. The ace all-rounder would look to put on a show with both bat and ball in the 16th IPL edition.

2. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk)

Rahmanullah Gurbaz is one of the most exciting prospects in Afghanistan Cricket. He is known for his fearless brand of cricket and takes the attack to the opposition right from the get-go. The 21-year-old has played 35 T20Is and scored 896 runs at a strike rate of 138.27.

Gurbaz has also proven his mettle in T20 leagues around the world and scored 2730 runs in 108 T20 matches at a superb strike rate of 152.94. He was stunning in the 2022 season of the Caribbean Premier League as well and smashed 157 runs in six games at a strike rate of 140.17.

Speaking of recent stints in cricket, in Lanka Premier League, the wicketkeeper-batter smashed 249 runs in nine games at a strike rate of 157.59. However, in the recently concluded PSL, the Afghan stumper-batter featured in 8 matches for Islamabad United, where he scored 176 runs. This sums up him not being in good form of late. Henceforth, the Kolkata Knight Riders' management would hope the ace batter regains his form at the earliest possible and provide match-winning contributions with the bat.

3. Mandeep Singh

Mandeep Singh is an all-rounder from Jalandhar, Punjab. At one stage, Singh was tipped to come good as a future star at the big level. Notably, the veteran batter made his IPL debut in 2010. So far, Singh has featured in 108 matches in his IPL career and scored 1692 runs, with an average of 21.42.

In the IPL Auction 2023, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bought him for Rs 50 Lacs. He last played in an IPL match against Hyderabad at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Speaking of his recent performances in the domestic circuit, Singh did come good with his bat with some fifties and a century. Though, his issue of consistency is still prevailing.

Interestingly enough, as KKR are to begin their IPL campaign against the Punjab Kings at Mohali, the local boy from Punjab can be very handy with both the bat and the bowl for the Kolkata franchise. Having experience with local conditions, Singh could feature in the playing XI in their opening match. Moreover, he can fill in for Shreyas Iyer the best factoring in the above reasons.

4. Nitish Rana (c)

Nitish Rana has been a proven performer in the Indian Premier League. The 28-year-old has featured in 91 games in the cash-rich league and scored 2181 runs at a strike rate of 134.22. He did a decent job in the previous IPL season and scored 361 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 143.82.

In the recent developments for the franchise, the regular skipper, Shreyas Iyer, was ruled out from almost the whole season of the IPL 2023. Iyer has been suffering from a back injury and after reassessing his medical options ahead has reported to the NCA. Consequently, Nitish Rana has been named as the interim captain for KKR.

The batter has been an integral part of the KKR setup. Rana has the ability to steady the ship when the team has been in trouble and can also swiftly switch gears to put the opposition under the pump. Besides his batting skills, the Delhi-born is a useful contributor with the ball and can be used in case of a favourable match-up.

The Delhi-born has been simply phenomenal in the domestic arena of late. He played eight games in SMAT 2022 and scored 317 runs at a strike rate of 139.03. Also, Rana picked up 11 wickets at an economy of 6.95. He would look to deliver the goods for Kolkata in the upcoming season.

5. Rinku Singh

Rinku Singh has been a bankable name in the domestic circuit. He has featured in 75 T20 matches and scored 1294 runs at a strike rate of 137.95. Slotting in at the middle-order, he has provided the impetus to the innings and helped shift the momentum of the game in the favour of his side.

Rinku has been associated with Kolkata Knight Riders since 2018. However, he was not able to make his opportunities count in his starting seasons for the franchise. It was in the previous edition when the Aligrah-born set the stage ablaze with his batting exploits. He smashed 174 runs in seven games at a strike rate of 148.72.

Rinku was also brilliant in the recently concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022. He made nine appearances for Uttar Pradesh and scored 335 runs in nine games at a strike rate of 103.39. The ace batter has been a pristine touch of late and would look to replicate his form in the upcoming IPL season.

6. Andre Russell

Andre Russell is among the most destructive batters in the shortest format of the game. The ace all-rounder is a match-winner with both bat and ball and has proven his might in T20 tournaments around the world. In the IPL too, he has been quite magnificent, scoring 2035 runs in 98 matches at a dazzling strike rate of 177.88 and bagging 89 wickets at an economy of 9.14.

With the ball, Russell has been KKR’s gun-finisher and has played the role with perfection. With the ball, he has been an enforcer in the middle phases of the innings and has also performed the role of a death-overs specialist. The veteran cricketer showed his all-round prowess in the 15th edition of the cash-rich league.

The Jamaica-born amassed 335 runs in 14 matches for Kolkata Knight Riders at a strike rate of 174.48. On the bowling front, he took 17 wickets for his side. The ace all-rounder would again try to bring his A-game into play in the 16th IPL edition. Speaking of his recent performances, Russell played in the BPL 2023. Unlike his reputation, he only managed to score 45 runs off the four matches he played for Comilla Victorians. Regarding his bowling, he picked only five wickets and remained on the expensive side with an economy rate of 8.25. Therefore, for middle-order stability and finishing role, KKR will hope Russell finds his rhythm the soonest.

7. Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine has been one of the giants in the T20 circuit. He has picked up an insane tally of 474 wickets in 435 matches in the shortest format and scored 3355 runs at a strike rate of 146.63. The 34-year-old made his IPL debut for KKR in 2012 and has been associated with the franchise since then. He has been a game-changer for the team with both bat and ball.

Narine has bamboozled batters with his numerous variations and picked up 152 wickets in 148 IPL matches at an economy of 6.63. Also, he has played many stunning knocks for KKR and scored a total of 1025 runs at an excellent strike rate of 162.70.

In the last edition as well, Narine was at his consistent best and bagged nine wickets in 14 games at a superb economy of 5.57. Also, he hammered 71 runs at a strike rate of 177.50. When KKR take the stage in the upcoming edition, the spin maestro will again hold the cards for them with the ball.

When it comes to his recent performances, Narine has looked out of colour in the BPL 2023. Through his bowling, the West Indian only picked up five wickets from the four matches he played for Comilla Victorians. His economy rate remained decent averaging 5.74. Even in batting, he was unable to score big in any of the matches. He managed to score 57 runs from the four matches he appeared in. The only good thing has been his impressive strike rate averaging 219.23. But with all the experience the veteran has, KKR can expect him to come good in the first match of their IPL campaign.

8. Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur has been a consistent performer in the lucrative T20 tournament. The 31-year-old has featured in 75 matches and bagged 82 wickets at an economy of 9.06. Also, he is no muck with the bat and has scored 173 runs at a strike rate of 129.10.

The Kolkata franchise traded Shardul from Delhi Capitals and gave a whopping sum of INR 10.75 crore to acquire his services. He is a wily bowler with a knack for providing regular breakthroughs and also possesses the ability to score vital runs for his side.

Shardul is an international quality bowler and has the ability to bowl any phase of the game. KKR will count on him to partner Umesh Yadav with the new ball and also deliver the goods at the slog-overs. Moreover, the bowling all-rounder’s presence in the team also increases the batting depth of the side.

9. Umesh Yadav

Umesh Yadav has been a seasoned performer for India in the longest format of the game. He has featured in 54 matches and bagged 165 wickets at an average of 30.21. The 35-year-old also has fared well in the lucrative T20 tournament, bagging 135 wickets in 133 matches at an economy of 8.32.

The Kolkata franchise picked Umesh at the 2022 mega auction to add experience to the pace attack. The Nagpur-born was at his best in the 15th edition and wreaked havoc with the ball. He featured in 12 games and bagged 16 wickets at an economy of 7.06. Notably, Yadav also made a great comeback for India in the recently concluded Test series against Australia. He took a 3-fer on a pitch where nothing much was on offer for the pacers at Indore.

The ace pacer can make the ball talk at the start of the innings for the KKR  by providing early breakthroughs. In the upcoming season too, Umesh would be entrusted to carry the new-ball duties. He would look to bring his experience into play and thrive in the IPL arena.

10. Narayan Jagadeesan

Narayan Jagadeesan is a stumper-batter keeper who hails from Coimbatore. Jagadeesan was a part of the Chennai Super Kings franchise until recently. He made his IPL debut back in 2020. In his IPL journey so far, the youngster has played 7 matches and scored 73 runs, with an average of 24.33.

Notably, Jagadeesan showed his batting prowess in the domestic circuit. in November last year, Jagadeesan garnered immense limelight with his stellar 277-run knock while playing for Tamil Nadu against Arunachal Pradesh. Astonishingly enough, he smacked 15 sixes in his blistering innings. During the IPL Auction 2023, KKR bagged the services of Narayan Jagadeesan for Rs 90.00 Lac. His last appearance in the IPL match was against Rajasthan at Brabourne Stadium, in Mumbai, where he failed miserably with the bat by scoring just one run.

11. Varun Chakravarthy

Kolkata Knight Riders signed Varun Chakravarthy at the IPL 2020 auction at INR 4 crore. The mystery spinner proved to be a stunning buy as he spun the web around the opposition and picked up 17 scalps in 13 games at an economy of 6.84. In the following season too, he weaved his magic and bagged 18 wickets in 17 matches.

However, Varun was nowhere close to his best in the 15th edition of the lucrative T20 tournament. The ace spinner lacked venom in his bowling and batters seemed to play him easily. He featured in 11 games and could pick only six wickets at an economy of 8.51.

Despite Varun’s poor show, the Kolkata franchise has backed him to come good in the forthcoming season. The team management would hope the 31-year-old finds his mojo back and be the match-winner he used to be.