IPL 2022: 3 challenges for Kolkata Knight Riders in the upcoming edition
After winning two Indian Premier League (IPL) trophies in three years under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have been there or thereabouts when it comes to lifting that third coveted trophy.
Last season, they came close after going on a tremendous run in the second leg in the UAE. However, the side ran out of gas against the Chennai Super Kings at the ultimate hurdle.
KKR probably had the best retention picks, but the Men in Purple had a middling outing at the IPL 2022 mega-auction. They retained the services of russell" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Andre Russell (₹12 crores), Ventakesh Iyer (₹8 crores), chakravarthy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Varun Chakravarthy (₹8 crores) and Sunil Narine (₹6 crores) with ₹56 crores to build a squad around them.
The Shah Rukh Khan co-owned franchise went big for Shreyas Iyer and splurged ₹12.25 crores before naming him the captain last month. They even brought back former stars in Pat Cummins, Nitish Rana, Shivam Mavi and Tim Southee.
KKR's squad for IPL 2022: Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, Venkatesh Iyer, Sunil Narine, Shreyas Iyer (C), Pat Cummins, Nitish Rana, Shivam Mavi, Sheldon Jackson (WK), Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy, Rasikh Dar, Chamika Karunaratne, Baba Indrajith, Ashok Sharma, Pratham Singh, Abhijeet Tomar, Sam Billings (WK), Alex Hales, Ramesh Kumar, Mohammad Nabi, Aman Khan, Umesh Yadav.
Here are three challenges the Kolkata Knight Riders will face in the upcoming edition of the IPL.
#3. Lack of an established wicket-keeper batter
Releasing Dinesh Karthik from their roster, KKR signed two wicket-keepers in Sheldon Jackson and Sam Billings for ₹60 lakhs and ₹2 crores, respectively, at the mega-auction. Both are a safe pair of hands behind the wicket and have proven themselves to be competent with the bat as well.
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However, they may not be the type of prospects that the side will want in their starting lineup. While Jackson has consistently put in performances on the domestic circuit, he is well below the required standard to be a regular starter in the No. 5 role.
Furthermore, they won't be able to bring in Sam Billings unless one of Alex Hales, Narine, Russell, or Cummins is left out. Hales is a part-time keeper and deploying him ahead of Narine and Chakravarthy will be a major risk.
#2. Not getting one-dimensional in the middle overs
Despite some firepower up top, the team has far too many anchor-styled batters. Apart from Russell, who has had awful form in the last two seasons, KKR's batting lineup is devoid of power-hitters.
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Ajinkya Rahane, Nitish Rana, Sheldon Jackson, Sam Billings and Shreyas Iyer can all accumulate runs but take their time to settle in. This might hinder the team in posting large totals on the boards. There is no fluidity to the team, with certain holes hindering the overall balance of the playing XI significantly
If the occasion calls for it, KKR might consider putting Narine as a floater in the top order. He's a counter-attacking batter who can boost the scoring rate.
#1. Getting through the 'Group of Death'
The two-time IPL champions are in Group A of the IPL 2022. Apart from KKR, Group A includes five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Delhi Capitals (DC) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Teams in the same group will face each other twice in the league stage. KKR will also face Sunrisers Hyderabad twice as they are placed in the same row in the other group.
Apart from MI, who have always had the upper hand over KKR, all the other teams in Group A have assembled solid squads and will be eyeing the playoff spots.
The head-to-head record against MI doesn't favor KKR as they have won just seven games and have lost as many as 22 times in 29 encounters.
Historically, the Brendon McCullum-coached side has had a better record against DC and RR, winning 55 percent and 54 percent of their matches, respectively. However, the two franchises did a brilliant job at the IPL 2022 auction and have built strong starting XIs.
KKR will have a tough run of fixtures in the forthcoming IPL, to say the least.