IPL 2021: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Strength, Weakness, Best Playing XI, Prediction

Bengaluru, April 1: Kolkata Knight Riders will look to turn around their fortunes in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after missing out on a playoff berth last season.

Last edition’s IPL was a hotly contested one with almost all teams in the running, and the Knights missed out on the playoff spot due to the net run rate. Moreover, after a disappointing start last season, Dinesh Karthik handed over the captaincy to World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan in the middle of the season.

The two-time former champions will be aiming to pick up their third IPL trophy when the 14th season gets underway.

Here’s a SWOT analysis of two-time winners KKR by Mykhel.

Strengths:

The Knights biggest strength lies in their foreign recruitments. Led by captain Morgan, KKR boast of a strong overseas line-up. With the likes of Pat Cummins, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine in their ranks the Knights form a formidable force.

Moreover, with KKR adding Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib-Al-Hasan in their ranks, the Kolkata franchise will be one to be wary of. Lockie Ferguson, who impressed during the last edition, will also bolster the squad.

While the biggest strength lies in their overseas line-up, the likes of Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana also add some weight to the line-up. Another player who adds strength to the squad is Prasidh Krishna.

Weaknesses:

While Andre Russell is a game-changer, the West Indies player struggled with the willow during the previous edition. Banking too much on the all-rounder might hurt the Knight’s chances. Meanwhile, former skipper Dinesh Karthik was inconsistent during the last edition. But even though the likes of Tim Seifert or Sheldon Jackson could be his replacement, the Kolkata outfit would want the former skipper behind the wickets.

Full Squad:

Dinesh Karthik, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Varun Chakravarthy, Eoin Morgan (C), Andre Russell, Lockie Ferguson, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Tim Seifert, Shakib al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Vaibhav Arora, Karun Nair, Harbhajan Singh, Ben Cutting, Venkatesh Iyer, Pawan Negi

Best XI:

Eoin Morgan (C), Dinesh Karthik, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Shakib al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Prasidh Krishna, Rahul Tripathi, Varun Chakravarthy

Prediction:

Boasting of a strong squad, and led by the World Cup winning England captain Eoin Morgan, the Kolkata Knight Riders have a strong chance of making it to the playoffs this season.