3 min read
Introduction
Kolkata Knight Riders is one of the two teams, the other one being Rajasthan Royals, who would be giving quite a lot of opportunities to youngsters within their squad. If you look at the KKR roster, it is not as intimidating as a roster like, say, Mumbai Indians’. Yet, it works. If you look at KKR’s 2020 purchases, they successfully managed to plug some holes and add some much needed firepower in the bowling department.
Suggestive Playing XI by Mihir Vohra
Mihir’s SWOT Analysis
strengths
- One of KKR’s biggest strengths is the amount of experience their squad posses, not only in the IPL, but from T20 leagues around the world, and number of games played for KKR itself.
- Eoin Morgan is one of the most underrated players n the world right now. Even if he may not necessarily find a place in the XI, he will be an invaluable player to have in the setup.
weaknesses
- The apparent weakness in the KKR lineup is their top-order batting which could force them to play Eoin Morgan – don’t get me wrong, it is not a bad option at all, just a bit less exciting than playing Tom Banton.
- On slow & deteriorating pitches, a 3rd spinner will be vital. While Varun Chakaravarthy is not a frontline spinner in any sense, he’s the best option right now to support Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav. As I write this, I realize how important Pravin Tambe as a player could have potentially been.
opportunities
- With a stable and experienced squad, KKR has the opportunity to put up a great show.
- Remember, pitches in Kolkata are quite similar to what is in store in the UAE, so KKR have an opportunity here to ride on this experience and create a ‘home advantage’.
threats
- There is always a threat to open with Sunil Narine as you’re effectively going into the game a batsman short – another case for Morgan to play in the middle-order ahead of Tom Baton.
- KKR would be ruing letting go of Piyush Chawla because of the threat his absence poses which is having to play Varun Chakaravarthy, although that seems like a conscious decision made by KKR.
player from another team
Robin Uthappa —> Believe it or not, a player from another team who would have fit perfectly in this KKR side is Robin Uthappa. Although I hope that he’s a regular in the RR lineup, I don’t think that would be the case. His presence at the top of the order would lend some extra stability.
key player
Shubman Gill —> With no Robin Uthappa and no Chris Lynn, long-time batting servants of KKR, Shubman Gill will find himself leading the batting attack of KKR. Hopefully, with KKR grooming him to be a future leader for teams to come, this may be the year we get to see Shubman Gill in all his glory.
prediction
Given the balance of their side and playing conditions we have in store, I would say that KKR will make it to the playoffs, although I don’t expect that to be a smooth ride in any sense.
Roster
Schedule
Download
Download High Resolution KKR Analytical images here
You will definitely want to give these a try
-
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) - IPL 2020There’s nothing characteristically different in this CSK squad. They have once again put their weight behind experience - in terms of age and in terms of number of IPL matches played. This should be CSK’s toughest season yet with Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina, two of the most vital cogs in their wheel set to miss out on the IPL.
-
Delhi Capitals (DC) - IPL 2020The squad of Delhi Capitals looks one of the most complete squads on paper, this IPL. Filled with batsmen, who can play the explosive role, the anchor role and the pinch-hitting role. Then there are the all-rounders who are right up there in terms of performance. They have quality spinners and fast bowlers.
-
Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) – IPL 2020KL Rahul is appointed the full-time captain of this franchisee and they have got Glenn Maxwell in their team again. Kings XI Punjab have definitely set yes on the long run based on the roster that they have compiled. Baring some negligible gaps, their team looks strong on paper.
-
Mumbai Indians (MI) – IPL 2020MI’s squad is one of the most peculiar squads ever. If you look at the indispensable assets of the squad - Rohit Sharma, Pandya Brothers and Jasprit Bumrah - every player has a similar, if not exactly the same replacement sitting on the bench. This has a couple of very interesting implications.
-
Rajasthan Royals (RR) – IPL 2020A team perfectly built for the Sawai Mansingh Stadium of English conditions suddenly finds itself in a spot of bother - their premier all-rounder is in NewZealand and will miss at least the first part of the tournament. There is little certainty over whether their captain is available for the first game.
-
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) – IPL 2020There has never been more pressure on the Royal Challengers from Bangalore to win an IPL season. Fortunately for them, there won’t be any fans in the stadium to remind them of this expectation. There’s no doubt that RCB are going to field a top quality squad, but it is their bench strength which will come into the focus as the tournament progresses.
-
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) – IPL 2020SRH have more or less the same squad as last year. But, for some reason, this squad looks a little weaker. It could be due to the conditions that are on offer in UAE as opposed to ones in Hyderabad (and Rest of India). Overall, the SRH side should be competitive but lack a little in the batting department, as is the case with quite a lot of teams, surprisingly.
-
Indian Premier League 2020It’s that time of the year but it is not really ‘that’ time of the year. Preparations for the T20 World Cup would have been in full swing right now. Instead we have players converging in UAE almost a month before the start of another IPL season. These are crazy times.
The Author(s):
Mihir Vohra is the web-developer, designer and content writer at Cricket in Progress! Through Cricket in Progress!, he aims to bring some fresh writing to cricket while wording his views. To say that Mihir is a fan of the game would be an understatement of cosmic proportions. Much credit for Mihir’s attraction towards cricket could be credited to Shane Warne and the way he led the Rajasthan Royals to victory in the inaugural season of IPL. What was seeded in that year culminated into this very website. He has a keen liking for puns, humour and literary drama as will be pretty evident in his words.
