The Kolkata Knight Riders are two-time IPL champions, but they haven’t been able to hit similar heights since then. But it can not be denied that they have a gun squad and that IPL 2020 will be considered one of the favorites.
Skipper Dinesh Karthik will have to inspire the team to scale heights and in the meanwhile let’s have a look at the at the strength and weakness of the team ahead of the IPL 2020, scheduled to be held in the UAE from September 19 to November 8.
1. Strength:
The Knight Riders of Kolkata have a powerful unit packed with players that can make a high impact in the T20 version. The two West Indians are the foundations of their strength-Andre Russell and Sunil Narine. And with the bat and the ball, they can make a difference. Captain Karthik himself is a batsman with a lot of chutzpah, and then Captain Eoin Morgan of England. Morgan is a true enforcer in white ball formats. They’ve also got a new feeling from England, Tom Banton, in the batting line-up with Shubman Gill. Pat Cummins, the world’s leading bowler, will be the spearhead of their attack and will be assisted by Harry Gurney, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, etc.
2. Weakness:
It’s a line-up that lacks any tangible weakness, just like the Hyderabad Sunrisers. But Knight Riders are heavily dependent on Russell and Narine to make a match-turning impact. They would need a larger contribution from the likes of Karthik, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana etc.
Kuldeep had forgotten about IPL 2019, and his stock has since gone down, and KKR is hoping that he will have recovered from a modest year. Similarly, two young fast tyros, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi, have been in the grip of injury for some time now, severely undermining their bench power. Luckily, this long break may have allowed them to make progress in the fitness department.
3. Squad:
Dinesh Karthik, Andre Russell, Harry Gurney, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Siddesh Lad, Sunil Narine, Eoin Morgan, Pat Cummins, Rahul Tripathi, Varun Chakravarthy, M Siddharth, Chris Green, Tom Banton, Pravin Tamble, Nikhil Naik.
4. Stars To Watch:
Pat Cummins, Eoin Morgan, Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav.
5. IPL Prediction:
Qualifiers are the minimum level that can be reached for Knight Riders, and they should be able to do so with a lot of ado. But to see them as champions of the IPL 2020 is not a mistaken thought either.
