Kolkata Knight Riders had a disappointing outing in last year’s Indian Premier League finishing at number 7th position with 6 wins and 8 losses. They would look to make amends with new buys in this year’s edition.
They bought Chetan Sakariya for Rs 50 Lakhs, Mitchell Starc for 24.75 Crore, Angriksh Raghuvanshi for Rs 20 Lakhs, Ramandeep Singh for Rs 20 Lakhs, Sherfane Rutherford for Rs 1.5 Crore, Manish Pandey for Rs 50 Lakhs, Mujeeb Ur Rahman for 2 Crore and Sakib Hussain for 20 Lakhs.
Phil Salt has been named as replacement for Jason Roy which will be a big boost for KKR this season. KKR will begin their season against Sunrisers Hyderabad on 23rd March and hope to start with a bang.
Here we look at the SWOT Analysis of KKR in IPL 2024:
Strengths
Kolkata Knight Riders’ batting lineup looks imposing with the likes of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Phil Salt, Venetkash Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, and Andre Russell creating massive trouble for the opponent bowlers.
The spin bowling looks very potent with the likes of Sunil Narine, Suyash Sharma, and Varun Chakravarthy. They would be joined by Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman who could create a serious impact in the middle overs by picking wickets and controlling the run flow.
Weakness
Mitchell Starc will be a major weapon for Kolkata Knight Riders in the first six overs. They might lack a genuine death-bowling pair that can stop batters from scoring runs at a quick pace. Chetan Sakariya, Harshit Rana, and Vaibhav would play key roles. Another major problem for Kolkata Knight Riders is the inconsistent form of all-rounder Andre Russell.
Dushamanta Chameera’s concern with injuries could be a major concern that will dent their chances.
Opportunities
Phil Salt has been named as a replacement for Jason Roy by KKR. He is an opener for England who scored 2 centuries and can create pressure on the opponents with an aggressive style of batting in the first six overs.
The question is whether KKR uses him depending upon the match situation. He is a genuine hitter and would be eager to prove his mettle.
Threats
The main threat for Kolkata Knight Riders is to keep a fit squad throughout the entire tournament. Shreyas Iyer did not take part due to an injury that put the Kolkata Knight Riders camp on the backfoot right from word go.
The form of key players including Shreyas Iyer, Sunil Narine, and Andre Russell would be key for KKR’s chances of qualifying for the playoffs stage.
Expectations
Kolkata Knight Riders need to play as a unit and hope to surprise the opponents with their aggressive style of play.
They need their key players to perform well throughout the season. Under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer, KKR would struggle to qualify for the playoff stage.
Full Squad
Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Shreyas Iyer (c), Phil Salt, Sunil Narine, Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, KS Bharat, Chetan Sakariya, Mitchell Starc, Angriksh Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Sherfane Rutherford, Manish Pandey, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Dushamanta Chameera, Sakib Hussain.
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