Hence, despite the look of a harmless participant to many at the beginning, they have more often than not come close to getting their hands on the title. This season isn’t expected to be any different with the likes of Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, and Royal Challengers Bangalore sticking to their elite few, while others go on with their major revamp. 

It would be a tricky season as well with England and Australia deciding to pull back their players from May owing to the World Cup, commencing from May 30. And KKR’s shopping has been seemingly clever considering the significant development.

If gone solely by the first eleven in a team, then KKR would only come after Mumbai Indians as the most balanced and strongest sides. Most teams in IPL have been lopsided in order to accommodate a big name here or a match-winner there. But, KKR’s relatively small squad has taken that problem out of the equation with the first eleven having a very little chink in their armour. 

Following him would be the duo of Nitish Rana and Shubhman Gill, who have just the perfect temperament for the format and could fit in anywhere between three to five. However, after some impressive cameos last season, the U-19 World Cup hero could actually see a promotion up the order. While Rana has a lot to prove with his bat, his quirky close fielding was a big advantage for KKR last season and he would continue that this season as well. In case all the five have failed, which hasn’t happened even once last season, comes the experienced likes of Dinesh Karthik and Andre Russell. Coming at number six and seven respectively, the duo had 814 runs between them, which hints that they have more often than not delivered for the side and justifies KKR’s master plan surrounding this core. And as far as the task of finishing goes, only Chennai Super Kings’ MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo could match KKR’s two-edged sword in the middle order.

While their first eleven could be one of the best in the league, they also have one very big chink in their armour – an Indian fast bowler. Having a specialist Indian pacer with considerable experience on Indian tracks is quintessential for any IPL side, and KKR could only compensate that so much. Hardly any side in the IPL has left this department empty, which only points to the severity of KKR’s situation. The intent of going with young pacers like Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti was quite ambitious and noble to be honest, but their repeated unavailability has now cost the side for the second consecutive year. While Prasidh Krishna and Sandeep Warrier are also decent Indian bowling options, they are hardly reliable given their inexperience at such a level. KKR, however, have always thrived on their lesser known names stepping up to the moment and expecting the same wouldn’t be a stretch for the neutrals.

While weaknesses look pretty deep if procrastinated, a clever auction has enabled them to pretty much stay in the competition even when other sides start losing star players in the World Cup month of May. Among the potential backups that KKR have are Carlos Brathwaite, Joe Denly, Anrich Nortje, Rinku Singh, and more. While Nortje has already made headlines, which includes impressing Dale Steyn, with his insane speed and reigning supreme South Africa’s series against Sri Lanka, England’s Joe Denly has accrued praises from the likes of Eoin Morgan to make a strong case for himself ahead of the World Cup. Now, they both are fringe players and are highly unlikely to travel to the World Cup, and although their IPL experience has been minimal, KKR would still have some exciting talents in the bag when the big Australian and English names from other sides leave the tournament midway in the first week of May.

If going by what happened last season, then an ageing Robin Uthappa could be KKR’s biggest threat. The once T20 specialist was KKR’s star player back in 2014, where his mammoth 660 runs off 16 matches with an average of 44 had propelled the side to the title. However, whether it is the age or the lack of ambition, but the batsman has been nowhere close to that performance thereafter. In the four years since then Uthappa has failed to cross the 400 run tally every time, and now when the team needs him to adjust in the middle-order, he has faltered. Interestingly, KKR’s batting flexibility has him at the core of it for his vast experience in that position. Promoting a Gill to number three or taking the opening spot in Lynch’s absence, Uthappa should be KKR’s heart to control the tempo of the game and his inconsistency would be the biggest threat that could impact KKR’s season.

Ideal Starting XI