Two-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders would look to inculcate Chandrakant Pandit`s tactical acumen as they fight injury and a thin on quality batting line-up in their bid to reclaim the coveted IPL title after nine years.
KKR bought eight players with Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan being their biggest buy at Rs 1.5 crore in the IPL mini-auction in December last year. Besides, the franchise also invested in the services of Namibia all-rounder David Wiese for Rs 1 crore and in-form Tamil Nadu keeper-batter N Jagadeesan for Rs 90 lakh. Maverick Bangladesh star Litton Das also featured in the roster.
Strengths
Perhaps, their biggest strength lies in the quality of all-rounders in the side. Over the years, the Kolkata outfit has been focussing on strengthening its all-round department and this time it is no different. Both Andre Russell and Sunil Narine has delivered in the past but inconsistency has been their bane at times. And in Shakib, Weise and Venkatesh Iyer, they do have quality with potential of translating that into performance. However, all eyes will be fixated on coach Pandit, who replaced Brendon McCullum.
Having tasted success in the domestic arena with six-Ranji-winning sides with three different state units, including Mumbai, Vidarbha cricket and Madhya Pradesh, this will be Pandit`s maiden stint in the cash-rich league.
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Weakness
KKR`s top-order remains a cause of worry in the absence of their regular batsman Shreyas Iyer, who is likely to miss the entire IPL this year due to a back injury. Perhaps, the biggest puzzle for Pandit to decode will be the opening combination. As things stand out, the side could go in with right-left combination of Litton and Narine at the top with skipper Nitish Rana, Jagadeesan, Shakib and Russell holding the innings in the middle. Venkatesh as a top batter is also an option to consider for Pandit but he would perhaps be wary of making too many chopping and changing.
Match-winners
With a new coach at the helm, who knows how to finish on the right side of results, there won`t be dearth of ideas and it will be upto the players to translate that inside the ground. If top-order batting is a bit of concern, KKR boasts of formidable bowling unit in Shardul Thakur, Tim Southee and Umesh Yadav, who will be in charge of the pace department. In Shakib, Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy, the spin line-up also looks potent.
(With PTI inputs)
