IPL 2021: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Team Analysis – Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Team Analysis: The two times former champions of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be eager to follow the lead of Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings in the list of the franchises with at least three IPL trophies. Gautam Gambhir won the maiden title for the franchise back in 2012 and the franchise went on to win another in the span of two years.
KKR has one of the best arsenals among other teams. Their middle order with the likes of Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins can destroy any bowling unit no matter how good they are. However, the side has failed to deliver in the previous two seasons.
In this article, we will take a look at the Team analysis of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Their Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats for IPL 2021.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Team Analysis:
Strengths – Middle Order.
KKR have one of the best possible arsenals in the IPL. The side packed with the likes of humongous T20 stars who operates over 150 strike rate. Moreover, the franchise has the strongest overseas players in the squad. Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Eoin Morgan are their biggest overseas assets.
All the players once in form can dismantle the opposition and 200 total for them looks very tiny. Pat Cummins with the ball will try to improve his IPL 2020 stats. If he tries to replicate what he does with Australia’s national side, then probably he can be a deadly weapon for the two times champions.
Weaknesses – Back-up for Dinesh Karthik.
The franchise lacks in providing the back-up for the Indian senior wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik. In the previous outing, Karthik and Russell both failed to accelerate at the death while no one other from the squad could fill the void.
It will be crucial for the former champions to find the best suited back-up option for Dinesh Karthik or Andree Russell. They have Tim Siefert who can take up the wicketkeeper’s role off Dinesh Karthik. It is pertinent to note that Siefert is an opening batsman and his success in the middle order can not be calculated with his records.
KKR have several other names for the back-up but the perfect back-up remains to come.
Opportunities – Uncapped Indian players.
Rahul Tripathi and Nitish Rana will have the perfect opportunity to blast in the upcoming IPL and strom into the Indian T20 side. Following the lead of Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan, both the batsmen smashed the bowlers playing for Mumbai Indians consistently over the last couple of years and now both of them have been rewarded with the maiden Indian call.
Both Tripathi and Rana have been in the KKR’s playing 11 for a long time and it will be a perfect setting if they fire and get the maiden call for the national team.
Threats – Spin unit.
KKR will have to tackle the major issues in their spin bowling unit. None of their spinners are in the top-notch condition to deliver in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League.
Sunil Narine is their best spinner and he has come under ICC scanner for faulty action. While the player has changed his action but he has not experienced many results with that. Shakib Al Hasan faced several injuries in the recent West Indies series.
From Indian options, Harbhajan Singh will be crucial but will start with nil match practice, Pawan Negi went wicketless in the three Syed Mushtaq Ali games.
Varun Chakravarthy will come after recovering from his injury. There is no surety in his performance after the injury. Kuldeep Yadav has not been used in the short format for a long time. Also, his performance in the tournament has been hot and cold.
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