IPL 2021: Best Playing XI of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

Kolkata Knight Riders are one franchise, which believes in building a team and gives players enough time to settle in the flashes of the league. The franchise has shown over the years that even with close to no star players, they can still become a formidable side. In the auction for the IPL 2021, they were one of the teams, who had their strategy in place. 

KKR bought Sheldon Jackson, Shakib Al Hasan, Karun Nair, Harbhajan Singh, Pawan Negi, Vaibhav Arora, Venkatesh Iyer and Ben Cutting. They seemed to have got their squad sorted ahead of the IPL 2021. But, the addition of these players means that some of their players can miss a spot in the starting XI. 

Talking about the ideal XI for the KKR franchise before they take the field in the first match of the IPL 2021, some players have been put in place due to their records and skills. Some might be missing in the XI but it has been done to maintain the perfect balance of the team.

IPL 2021: KKR Best Playing XI

1. Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill has risen up the ranks in the past few years. In the last season of the IPL, he opened in all the innings and scored 440 runs at an average of 33.84. His strike rate was slightly less than 120, something which he would want to improve going into this season. With the exposure of playing at the international level on his back, he will be more confident this year. 

He is one of the most important batters for KKR. His job will be like the previous season to anchor the innings while everyone bats around him. There are several players like Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik and Andre Russell who have the power-hitting capabilities to take the charge on the bowlers. 

Given the team’s middle order, Gill will be expected to lay down the foundation of the others to come and finish the match. His role will be quite crucial in this IPL as this could be the year where he establishes himself as one of the best young batsmen in the league and also makes a strong case for the Indian T20I and ODI teams. 

2. Rahul Tripathi

Rahul Tripathi had been a flexible batsman in the previous season of the IPL. He was seen batting at no. 8 and also came up to open the innings with Gill. His claim to fame had come in the IPL 2017, where he played for the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant where he was their opener and scored runs heavily in a season where the side excelled. 

Going by his performances in T20 cricket for the past couple of years, it seems that Tripathi is well suited to open the innings for KKR. His best performances have come when he has opened the innings for his team. Even last year, his best knock came against Chennai Super Kings where he scored a match-winning fifty as an opener. 

Tripathi has not performed well for his domestic team, Maharashtra, in recent times but he is expected to bounce back in the Vijay Hazare Trophy which started on February 20. If he can impress the support staff of the KKR team in the nets ahead of the IPL, he will surely be given a chance to open with Gill. 

3. Nitish Rana

Nitish Rana is one of the most impressive young T20 players in the country. He was bought by Knight Riders ahead of the 2018 season and has been really good with the bat, taking up important roles in the middle-order. He has been constantly scoring runs for KKR and has managed more than 300 runs in each of the three seasons in which he has played for them. 

However, there hasn’t been a season where he has been the most talked-about player. With the T20 World Cup coming up later this year, he is expected to be one of the probable young talents whom the selectors might look at. But, for that, he has to make sure that the 2021 edition of the IPL becomes a huge stepping stone for him. 

He needs to have a big season with the bat where he notches up more than 400 or 500 runs. Batting at no.3, he is someone who has the ability to adjust to the pitch and also accelerate whenever required. His IPL career strike rate of 136 is something that adds a lot of importance to this KKR batting order. 

4. Eoin Morgan (Captain)

When Eoin Morgan was bought by Kolkata ahead of the IPL 2020, it seemed like a great addition to the side. Midway through the IPL 2020 season, he was handed over the captaincy of the franchise as Dinesh Karthik decided to concentrate on his batting. Morgan leading the side saw the KKR team finish with some good performances. 

This season, Morgan’s impact as a captain will be tested when he will begin the season as the skipper of the side. As a World Cup-winning captain, expectations from his captaincy role will be more from the fans and considering his record, he will surely deliver. But, it is his batting form that KKR can really benefit from. 

In the last season of the IPL, he scored 418 runs with a strike rate of 138.41. He played some crucial knocks in the previous season which helped his side to victories in important matches. He will be in the limelight once again as his team aims to make it to the playoffs this season after finishing at the fifth position in consecutive seasons. 

5. Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib Al Hasan is one of the best all-rounders in the world and he has been a stalwart for the Bangladesh team over the last decade. He is a top cricketer and his addition to this KKR team will mean a world of good for them. There are high chances that he will replace Sunil Narine in the first XI in the upcoming season. 

Shakib can provide the KKR team with four overs of bowling in each match and he can form a good bowling pair with Varun Chakravarthy. Considering what Narine can do, Shakib seems like someone who might pull off the role better than the West Indian. He is a solid and dependable batsman who can bat at any number to provide balance to the team. 

On top of this, he was the key member of the Gautam Gambhir’s team which won the title in 2012 and 2014. He knows how to make this team a better one. Having bought him for just INR 3.2 crores in the auction, it was a steal deal for the KKR franchise. His addition could just be something that KKR was looking for in order to turn the fortunes for them this season. 

6. Andre Russell

Andre Russell needs no introduction to the IPL or the Kolkata fans. He has been a destructive batsman for them for as long as anyone can remember. He is probably their most dangerous batsman and has the ability to turn the match around on its head by playing a blinder of an innings. He also has a unique ability to bat at any number. 

In the 2020 season, Russell’s form with the bat wasn’t good. He scored only 117 runs from his 10 matches and had difficulty with bowling four overs as well. But with a proper all-rounder like Shakib Al Hasan back in the side, KKR could look to use Russell properly for his batting by not giving him the added responsibility of being a bowler. 

For KKR to reach the playoffs this season or win the championship, Russell will be needed to do the heavy lifting with the bat. There is no doubt about the fact that he would be looking to bounce back and boss around the bowlers once again in the IPL 2021. He hasn’t played any cricket for West Indies as well, which might keep him fresh for the upcoming season. 

7. Dinesh Karthik (WK)

Dinesh Karthik has been a veteran in Indian domestic cricket. He recently led the Tamil Nadu team to the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy win, where he played a key role as the finisher. With experience on his back, Karthik is one of the most important players of his franchise. He would be quite valuable for the KKR team if they want to win the upcoming IPL. 

Last year, he relieved himself from the responsibility of captain as he wanted more time for his batting. His addition to the franchise’s middle-order brings a lot of stability and he has the ability to accelerate at any point in the innings. He didn’t have a great season with the bat the previous year and this could be his opportunity to revive it. 

Even after a poor season, KKR has shown faith in his experience and no team more than the KKR knows how to use Karthik effectively. He can bat at no.5 or even below depending on the situation of the match, which makes him one of the most valuable players in the league. This year could be where Karthik plays his role to perfection and helps Kolkata to win the championship. 

8. Varun Chakravarthy

The Tamil Nadu spinner is someone who was a surprise success in the previous season of the IPL. Before last season, KKR’s leading spinners were Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav. However, the duo didn’t actually get a hell of a lot of wickets, which forced them to look at Chakravarthy as a leader of the spin attack. 

Much to the surprise of the experts, he delivered. He even picked up a five-for in the previous season. Chakravarthy made sure he bowled tight lines and kept the pressure on the batsmen. In the 13 matches which he played, he picked up 17 wickets. His bowling average and the economy were tremendous, standing at 20.94 and 6.84 respectively. 

He even got a maiden call-up for the national team but failed to make it to the Australian tour due to an injury he had picked up late in the IPL season. His mystery bowling has foxed many batsmen as he developed a tag of being a difficult bowler to face. He has now without a doubt replaced Kuldeep and Narine as their no.1 choice of the spinner. 

9. Pat Cummins

When Pat Cummins was bought for INR 15.5 crores in the auction ahead of the IPL 2020, some eyebrows were raised by the experts. Having started the season slowly, Cummins quickly picked up his performance and became a really important addition to the franchise. He picked up 12 wickets from the 14 matches. 

The numbers might not be enough to justify his presence in the side, but his ability to bowl solid lines has helped KKR to have some experience in the bowling unit which lacked it. There is absolutely no doubt that Cummins is among the top two or top three bowlers in the world across formats. In addition, he can bat as well providing his team with crucial runs in the lower order. 

He scored 146 runs last season with a strike rate of 128, which included a fifty against Mumbai Indians. It did take him some time to adjust to the pressure of the price tag in the league but eventually, he became a better bowler as the season went ahead. This year, he would be expected to show what his real capability is and perform according to the team’s demand.

10. Prasidh Krishna

Prasidh Krishna has been there with the KKR franchise for the past three seasons. He has been an important change bowler for them. With the new ball, he has the ability to stop the batsmen from scoring freely in the powerplay. The death over ability is not as what KKR would expect, but another year’s experience might have just made the youngster a bit more ready. 

He played only six matches in the previous season, but his role will be more crucial when the tournament returns to India. If some matches are played at the Eden Gardens, he would be an invaluable player with someone who is tall and is capable of using the bounce properly. 

However, even if the matches are played anywhere else in India, his experience of playing Indian domestic cricket could come in handy for the team. He would be expected to partner up with Pat Cummins and form a hostile fast-bowling pair which can be difficult for any team to face in the powerplay. 

11. Kamlesh Nagarkoti

Kamlesh Nagarkoti broke into the scene after the 2018 U-19 World Cup, where he was part of the team which won the tournament. He became a household name after showing some really classy and hostile pace bowling in the tournament. He was roped in by the KKR franchise in the auction ahead of the 2018 IPL.

However, his injury problems stopped him from playing the first two seasons. But, Kolkata was patient with the youngster and finally when he became fit for the 2020 edition, they allowed him to come into the side. He played 10 matches but managed only five wickets and had a high economy rate. 

Even after those things, there was something which everyone agreed on, and that was the fact that he is still a good bowler, who is developing and understanding his game. Hopefully, by the time the 2021 season starts, Nagarkoti would have matured a little more and can show his skills in the biggest T20 league in the world.