IPL 2021: Predicting opening pairs of all 8 teams ahead of the season
Many teams will be looking to make tactical changes in their batting line up with the availability of new additions to the squad.
4. KKR: Shubman Gill and Rahul Tripathi
Like Rajasthan Royals in the last season, Kolkata Knight Riders too did a lot of experiments in their batting order. Young rising star Shubman Gill is definitely going to open for them in 2021, and he has shown a lot of improvement with time. He scored 440 runs in IPL 2020, most by any player of Kolkata including 3 half-centuries.
Kolkata has tried Sunil Narine as a pinch hitter to dominate the opposition from the start. However, that ploy has not worked well in the last 2 years. Nitish Rana and Rahul Tripathi are the other 2 players from the current team who opened last season.
Given Tripathi’s overall record as an opener, and in pursuit of a settled team, he may be given a longer rope this season in the top order. Shubman Gill and Rahul Tripathi can help to end the woes for the Kolkata franchise who have failed to make it to playoffs for two seasons in a row.
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