Kolkata Knight Riders have been one of the primary entertainers at the Indian Premier League with their fearless brand of cricket over the years. They have pulled off dramatic wins from virtually impossible situations in the last few seasons, but have failed to deliver the goods when it has mattered the most. They made it to the play-offs on three of the five occasions since their last triumph in 2014. In the other two seasons, in 2015 and most recently in 2019, they kept themselves in contention right until the end of the league stage, but lost in the virtual knockouts to end up in fifth position.
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The power-packed two-time champions will look to cross the winning line for the first time since 2014. But can they? Here’s your Kolkata Knight Riders team preview.
Of all the teams, the Knight Riders probably made the most buzz at the 2020 auctions, picking up Pat Cummins for a whopping INR 15.5 crore, thereby making him the most expensive overseas buy in IPL history, while also roping in England’s World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan. They have some exciting young talents in the mix, both Indian and overseas. Whether they can stand up to the pressure on a consistent basis remains to be seen.
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Kolkata Knight Riders won their first IPL title in 2012[/caption]
IPL 2020 Kolkata Knight Riders team preview
Despite all the buzz of Morgan taking over the reins, Kolkata have retained Karthik as their captain for the 2020 season. The inclusion of Morgan, however, does give a significant boost to the leadership core, which also includes their new head coach, Brendon McCullum, who is revered as one of his country’s finest captains.
KKR’s campaign last season was defined by Andre Russell‘s brutal hitting, as the Jamaican all-rounder almost single-handedly carried them through. The experienced men – skipper Dinesh Karthik, Robin Uthappa and Chris Lynn – couldn’t quite stand up to the expectations, and that did little to help the team’s cause.
While they released Lynn and Uthappa ahead of the 2020 edition, they do have the promising young talents in Tom Banton and Shubman Gill, who have proven themselves as match-winners in their short career so far. While Gill was named as the Emerging Player of the Year in 2019, aggregating 296 runs at 32.88, Banton first succeeded in making a reputation for himself in his maiden Big Bash League season, before he excelled in the recent home T20Is against Pakistan. The England dasher is now a strong contender to replace Lynn at the top.
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Tom Banton demonstrated his hitting prowess in the Big Bash League 2019/20[/caption]
The middle order would likely consist of Morgan, Karthik and Nitish Rana, with Russell designated to do what he does best.
The fast-bowling department looks a formidable one, boasting Cummins’ experience and Lockie Ferguson‘s raw pace in addition to the young and promising Indian talents in Shivam Mavi, Prasidh Krishna and Kamlesh Nagarkoti. In addition, they’ve roped in USA’s Ali Khan as a replacement for Harry Gurney and the speedster has demonstrated his fine skills in the Caribbean Premier League over the last few years.
The spin front is well-rounded too, with Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav leading the way. What more, Chris Green, the spin-bowling all-rounder who had been banned from bowling earlier this year due to the illegal action, has bounced back strongly, with his once in a lifetime spell at the CPL creating the buzz. In addition, there’s Varun Chakravarthy, whose exploits at domestic level earned him an INR 4 crore deal at the auction.
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To round it off, Karthik has more options this time around, than he did in the previous two seasons. The task of settling on the best XI won’t be as easy though, especially considering the quality and experience of the overseas internationals at his disposal.
Kolkata Knight Riders squad list for IPL 2020
Dinesh Karthik (captain), Andre Russell, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Siddhesh Lad, Sunil Narine, Chris Green, Eoin Morgan, M Siddharth, Nikhil Naik, Pat Cummins, Rahul Tripathi, Tom Banton, Varun Chakravarthy.
Key players
Andre Russell: Russell is the only player in IPL history to win the Most Valuable Player award even when his team failed to make it to the play-offs, that too on two occasions. Apart from his strong power-hitting, he’s been a valuable asset with the ball, taking responsibility up front and at the death. He remains KKR’s premier match-winner, and his recent form in the CPL presents ominous signs for the rest of the teams in the competition.
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Andre Russell is one of the most feared power-hitters in T20 cricket[/caption]
Shubman Gill: Gill has been impressive in his short IPL career so far, despite being reshuffled in the batting order more than once. His returns at the top in the second half of the 2019 season could help him retain his preferred batting spot yet, and his steady approach could work perfectly fine alongside the power-hitting of Narine and Banton. He hasn’t been able to break into India’s XI since his international debut last year, and that might just be an additional motivation for the youngster ahead of the coming season.
IPL 2020 Betting odds
7/1
Our prediction
Qualifer: The last time IPL was staged in the UAE, KKR had a poor start to their campaign, before they bounced back in the India leg to win nine games on the trot to take the title. Come 2020, they look a solid outfit still, with almost all their departments covered ahead of the 13th edition of the tournament. They know a thing or two about winning key moments and look good to make it to the top four this time around. Their unpredictable nature over the last few seasons, though, leaves room for uncertainty thereafter.
