Squad analysis IPL 2018: Kolkata Knight Riders miss out on captain, batsmen

Kolkata Knight Riders will look to bank heavily on two of their West Indian stalwarts Andre Russell and Sunil Narine in the  Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 season. Their initial expensive purchases did not allow them to breathe comfortably as the auction panned out. The two-time champions have gone for a squad that looks unbalanced on paper.

The team has some familiarities in its ranks with the likes of Robin Uthappa, Piyush Chawla, and Kuldeep Yadav after having done away with several key players including former skipper Gautam Gambhir. The Delhi southpaw decided to switch to the Daredevils after being the vital cog in the KKR set-up for many years. Therefore the onus now will be on the new skipper to get the team to perform well.

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The franchise retained Narine and Russell, who are their go-to players this season. At the Bengaluru auction, they brought back Chris Lynn, Kuldeep Yadav, and Piyush Chawla. They also bolstered their bowling by getting Mitchell Starc and former Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson.

KKR went for three of India’s U-19 stars in the form of Shubman Gill, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and, Shivam Mavi. The side has been pretty consistent in the last few years and this season they have gone for a fresher look with several new entrants. Dinesh Karthik is a valuable addition to the middle order alongside Nitish Rana and coach Jacques Kallis will look to work it out with what he has at his disposal.

Here is the analysis of the KKR team

Batsmen: Chris Lynn will be their chief architect of the order and KKR will hope he can stay fit throughout the campaign. Alongside the Aussie, India’s U-19 prodigy Shubman Gill could get a look in. Gill has been in rich form in the ongoing ICC U-19 World Cup after having earlier shined in the Ranji Trophy last year. It serves as a perfect opportunity for Gill to learn the trades of playing against the best players and Lynn needs to help him likewise.

The middle order consists of the likes of Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik, and Nitish Rana. The key for KKR will be Uthappa’s application in the vital No. 3 position. He has been consistent for the team of late and with no Manish Pandey, the onus, therefore, lies on him to shoulder the responsibility.

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Karthik and Rana will be hoping to use the experience they have had in the IPL. Besides these five players, they lack some big names in the middle order. Rana had an excellent campaign in 2017 and helped Mumbai win the title.

Ishank Jaggi, Apoorv Wankhade, and Rinku Singh are the domestic recruits in the squad.

A look at Uthappa and Rana’s IPL record.

Uthappa: Matches 149, Runs 3778, Best 87, Average 29.52, S/R 131.64

Rana: Matches 17, Runs 437, Best 70, Average 31.21, S/R 128.91

All-rounders:

All eyes will be on Andre Russell. The West Indian missed last season of the IPL due to suspension by the ICC and this term the team’s hopes will cater around Russell. He is in short of games and at present, Russell’s focus would be to test his physical as well as match fitness in the Super50 tournament in the West Indies.

The Pakistan Super League (PSL), which starts in Dubai from February 22. will also be a platform for Russell to get his groove back. Russell will represent Islamabad United in the PSL.

Russell: Matches 34, Runs 574, Best 66, Average 26.09, S/R 173.41, Wickets 31, Best 4/20

Besides Russell, there is South Africa’s T20 specialist Cameron Delport, who could likely miss most games with the other international stars in the reckoning. Delport can be pretty ominous with the bat with his high strike-rate and also chip in with medium pace bowling.

Besides the duo, Nagarkoti’s application will come into play. The fast bowler has what it takes to chip in with the bat, and showed that in the Ranji Trophy for Rajasthan where he amassed 116 runs with a decent average of 38.66.

Bowlers: KKR have gone in with one of the best looking bowling units and that’s where they look the best. Mitchell Starc will lead the attack after being bought for a whopping Rs 9.4 crore. The Australian star bowled exceptionally well in the Ashes and looked good in the ODI series against England as well.

Besides Starc, the experience of Mitchell Johnson is a big plus. Meanwhile, Vinay Kumar is a good addition too as the lone senior Indian pacer. Vinay has done an excellent job as Karnataka captain across formats. All eyes will be on teenagers Shivam and Nagarkoti with the duo clocking serious pace in the U-19 WC. With the guidance of the trio, the talented duo will be hoping to play fearless cricket.

Also, there is another option in pacer Javon Searles who plays for the Trinbago Knight Riders.

The spin department is solid for KKR. Narine will be the leader of the pack and has been tremendous for the franchise for a very long time. Also, there is wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who has gained a lot of fame in limited overs cricket for India. Kuldeep has been excellent to watch and picks regular wickets. Besides the duo is Piyush Chawla, who is IPL’s fourth highest wicket-taker.

Narine: Matches 82, Wickets 95, Best 5/19, Economy: 6.33

Threats and challenges: Batting is the main concern for KKR. They are thin in this department and are overly dependent on Uthappa and Lynn. They have gone heavy on pace attack and could have got a pure batsman instead someone like a Manish Pandey or a Joe Root in the side. Especially after the success achieved under Gambhir, their new leader will face several challenges.

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