Kolkata Knight Riders had the least budget of 10.75 crores during IPL 2021 auction (along with Sunrisers Hyderabad), but the franchisee made intelligent decisions to buy 8 players into their squad with the amount. Shakib-al-Hasan (Rs. 3.2 crores) and Harbhajan Singh (Rs. 2 crores) and Ben Cutting (75 lakhs) were KKR’s top two buys in IPL 2021 auction. While Harbhajan’s international experience will be of immense advantage for the team management, the likes of Shakib and Cutting are ideal backup options for Sunil Narine and Andre Russell. KKR CEO Venky Mysore even said that Shakib covers up as a backup option for all the overseas players of the squad.

The Shahrukh Khan-owned franchisee won the title in 2012 and 2014. In IPL 2020 last year, Kolkata Knight Riders equaled Royal Challengers Bangalore with 14 points in the points table but failed to qualify for playoffs due to poor net run rate. With the team looking even stronger with the backup options we delve into choosing the best possible XI for the side for IPL 2021.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI of Kolkata Knight Riders

Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill was spectacular in IPL 2020 being the highest run-scorer for Kolkata Knight Riders. He smashed 440 runs in 14 matches. With him now breaking into the Indian international squad, he will be expected to bat with more responsibility opening the innings for the two-time IPL champions. He is already a part of the leadership group of the side.

Also Read: IPL 2021: Complete Squads Of All Eight Franchises