Presence Of World Class Players In The Team Makes It A Favorite Team In IPL Camp:
If anyone has to choose an IPL side with the best T20 players, the name of Kolkata Knight Riders will certainly appear as the favorites. With players like Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Dinesh Karthik, and Eoin Morgan, KKR has the most balanced squad in the shortest game format. The two-time IPL champions will kick off their 2020 IPL against the Mumbai Indians on September 23rd in Abu Dhabi.
The Dinesh Karthik-led team finished fifth at the points table in IPL 2019 and failed to qualify for the playoffs despite a promising start to the season. The underwhelming display saw some changes in KKR ‘s coaching management as they parted ways with former South Africa’s great Jacques Kallis to introduce Brendon McCullum as the new head coach.
McCullum began his IPL career with KKR in the inaugural season, where he began the tournament by breaking 158 out of 73 balls, considered to be one of the most historic innings of the game.
Last year, KKR struggled with Lockie Ferguson as the only prominent fast-bowling choice in the pace bowling department. Ferguson amazed everyone with his deadly pace, but Indian pitches didn’t support him a lot, so he only picked 5 buckets in 9 games at an economic rate of 9.20. In order to work on the fast bowling side, KKR invested a large amount of money on Pat Cummins at the 2020 IPL auction, becoming the most expensive player at the auction ceremony with the massive INR 15.50 crore.
In the last few years, Cummins has been one of the best bowlers in the world. After multiple injuries in the initial phase of his career, the lanky pacer focused on his fitness.
The last one he played in IPL was in the 2017 season when he picked 15 wickets in 12 games for Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals). With Cummins in their ranks, other young pacemakers like Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, and Prasiddh Krishna have a better chance to shine and learn from the best in the business.
The slow pitches of the UAE could help India’s leg-spinner Kuldeep Yadav to conquer last season’s ghosts, where he was dropped from the team after playing 9 games, in which he managed only four wickets. Kuldeep had a rough outing and appeared unconfident in the 2019 season, as opposition players quickly picked up his variations.
The UAE pitches would be perfect for the bowler of his caliber to carry back his A-game. He will be joined by the Sunil Narine Format Specialist. The Caribbean has been one of the main superstars of the shortest format in the last decade, Narine’s mystery has been almost difficult to solve for many years, but the shift of action has taken him down significantly.
The off-spinner still has a lot in his kitty to trouble the opposition in a critical moment, maybe he doesn’t take big wickets like he used to, but his economy rate has helped his partners play more natural games. KKR also put a major stake in the IPL auction by collecting Varun Chakravarthy for INR 4 crores.
The Tamil Nadu leg-spinner played only one game in the league, but the KKR management has every confidence in him to prove that the critics are wrong.
The Kolkata-based franchise has one of the most balanced batting line-ups with a trump card like Narine to open the innings, which has been given complete freedom from management to play its natural game. Narine’s job for KKR is to give them an explosive start in the Powerplay to exploit the field restrictions, and he’s done well in the last three seasons. The Caribbean will be without its partner Chris Lynn, who joined the Mumbai Indians this season.
Talented young batsman Shubman Gill is expected to open the door with him, followed by Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik and Eoin Morgan in the middle order. And then there’s Andre Russell, who is himself a force to be reckoned with. Russell was one of the hardest hitters in the league, and he won multiple KKR games on his own.
The IPL of 2019 was the best for Russell, as it had been at its devastating peak for the entire season. Russell slammed 510 runs in 14 matches at a remarkable strike rate of 204.81. He was also named the most valuable player of 2019 IPL. It’s going to be fun to see where Russel is going to fight this season. The Caribbean showed interest in batting the order last season, and recently, mentor David Hussey also confirmed his elevation in the bating order.
Ideal Playing XI:
Sunil Narine, Shubhman Gill, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik, Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Kuldeep Yadav, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Prasiddh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy.
Verdict:
All and all KKR will be a prime contender to lift the trophy in the 2020 IPL with one of the most balanced squads in the tournament. KKR are expected to qualify for playoffs easily.
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