With Andre Russell blowing hot and cold, KKR did not have the best start to the edition and will start things off in the UAE as the seventh-ranked side, with just two wins from seven games. They will need to win six of their last seven encounters if they hope to qualify for the play-offs.

IPL 2021 KKR team preview

Kolkata Knight Riders will be without the services of Pat Cummins, KKR’s most expensive purchase, in the second half of the tournament. New Zealand’s Tim Southee has replaced him in the squad. The side struggled for momentum at the top in the initial stages of the IPL this year, with Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana not the most aggressive openers around. Head coach Brendon McCullum had suggested tweaks to the XI before the tournament was rescheduled, and it would be interesting to see if the side still goes in with the changes.

KKR’s purchases ahead of the season, including Shakib Al Hasan and Harbhajan Singh, did not have the best start to the campaign and were eventually benched after a few games.

Kolkata Knight Riders coaching staff

Head coach – Brendon McCullum
Assistant coach – Abhishek Nayar
Bowling coach – Kyle Mills
Spin bowling consultant and operations executive – Pravin Tambe

Mentor – David Hussey
Assistant bowling coach – Omkar Salvi
Fielding coach – James Foster
Strength and Conditioning coach  – Chris Donaldson
Head Physiotherapist – Kamlesh Jain
Performance Analyst – AR Srikanth
Strategic consultant – Nathan Leamon

Kolkata Knight Riders squad

Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Tim Seifert, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav, Shivam Mavi, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Sandeep Warrier, Prasidh Krishna, Rahul Tripathi, Varun Chakravarthy, Shakib Al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Vaibhav Arora, Harbhajan Singh, Karun Nair, Ben Cutting, Venkatesh Iyer, Pawan Negi.

KKR IPL 2021 remaining Fixtures

20/09 – Abu Dhabi – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 7.30pm
23/09 – Abu Dhabi – Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 7.30pm
26/09 – Abu Dhabi – Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 3.30pm
28/09 – Sharjah – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Capitals, 3.30pm
01/10 – Dubai – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings, 7.30pm
03/10 – Dubai – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 7.30pm
07/10 – Sharjah – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, 7.30pm.

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