Kolkata Knight Riders Preview: Squad balance is the key for the two-time champions

Kolkata Knight Riders have certainly come a long way since the inception of the IPL. After having endured a difficult start to their IPL sojourn by finishing in the bottom three in each of the first three seasons of the competition, the Shahrukh Khan-owned franchise have certainly made amends in the recent past, winning the title in 2012 and 2014 respectively. More importantly, they won 4 of their first 5 matches last season, but fell short in the eliminator to eventual champions, Sunrisers Hyderabad, as they finished fourth.

And once again, the Knight Riders will start as main contenders for this year’s IPL as they possess one of the most balanced squads in the league on paper. Further, the additions of all-rounders Chris Woakes and Darren Bravo have certainly brought a lot more depth to the side.

KKR’s all-round abilities are undoubtedly their biggest strength. Along with their ever-reliable skipper Gautam Gambhir and explosive batsman Robin Uthappa at the top of the order, they also possess the likes of Manish Pandey and Shakib Al Hasan in the middle order, who can alter their play according to the need of the game. Finally, the franchise also have two of the best finishers in the game in the form of Darren Bravo and Yusuf Pathan.

Weaknesses:-

From a tactical perspective, given that the KKR have a number of all-rounders in their squad, they need to find the right balance in their playing 11, according to the venue and the opposition. Last year, Gautam Gambhir was the highest run getter in the squad with 501 runs, however, the other batsmen too will have to contribute if KKR are to win their third IPL title.

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