IPL 2024 Previews | Top to bottom 22-yard analysis of Kolkata Knight RidersÂ
Since the rejig in 2022, the Knight Riders have failed to find any traction and finished seventh in the last two seasons. However, with Shreyas Iyer back at the helm and Gautam Gambhir returning in purple to lead the newly unearthed talents of last year, can the side finally fulfil their potential?
For all the ghastly lows that the Kolkata Knight Riders have endured since they came into existence in 2008, they remain the only team apart from the big two that can call themselves multiple-time IPL champions. They certainly have the dog in them to go all the way just when the chips are down, making them an exciting prospect to unravel for the 22-yard-analysis.
Short length – The factors that could bump out the franchise
Opening conundrum
After struggling to finish out games with their bowling last year, the KKR management proactively addressed the lack of bona fide death options at the auction through the box office signing of Mitchell Starc for a record-breaking INR 24.75 crore, as well as promising up-comer Chetan Sakariya. However, their ability to start strong with the bat remains a huge concern.
Kolkata Knight Riders had the third-worst record with the bat during the fielding restrictions in the last season, averaging under 47 per game. This was largely down to the dearth of proven IPL openers with Narayan Jagadeesan and Rahmanullah Gurbaaz failing to translate their performances from the domestic and international stages respectively. Jason Roy’s addition in the second half of the season slightly alleviated concerns but the franchise finds itself back at square one after the Englishman announced he would play no part in 2024 due to personal reasons.
Despite the glaring shortcomings in the department, KKR failed to make any significant recruits in the auction, only roping in KS Bharat and Manish Pandey for the role. While the former has a solitary IPL half-century and has featured in just 10 games, Pandey has averaged a piteous 15.50 across the last two seasons and struck at under 110. Roy’s replacement Phil Salt on the other hand had a decent debut season with Delhi Capitals given his penchant for explosive starts but is coming off a disastrous SA20 campaign where he averaged a meagre 12.88 with a high score of 39 across 10 games.
Good length – The well of assets that the team can bank on Â
Indian middle-order core
KKR has one of the strongest middle-order contingents across all 10 franchises in the tournament that is comprised solely of Indians, which has been a hallmarked recipe for success throughout the competition’s history. Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, and Nitish Rana are all experienced IPL campaigners with great records to back themselves and as a combination possess a near-perfect arsenal to tackle the varying challenges posed by differing teams and conditions. The purple brigade boasted the third-best average and strike rate in IPL 2023 through the middle-overs , and would have possibly ended at the top of the tree were it not for their relative struggle against spin compared to pace. However, the return of Shreyas Iyer would go a long way in improving that record – in 2022, the franchise skipper averaged over 35 while having a strike rate of 135 when facing spin between overs 6 and 16.
Derivatively, the lethal power-packed duo of Rinku Singh and Andre Russell won’t have to shoulder the responsibility of building up the innings like they had to at times last season. On six out of 14 occasions in 2023, Rinku came out to bat within the first 10 overs of the innings and had to contend with being uncharacteristically sedate. The 26-year-old has a miserly career strike rate of 115.20 until the 16th over, beyond which the number exponentially rises to a phenomenal 182.70. Similarly, Russell only struck at 128.70 before the death overs in 2023 while going at 163.40 at the business end of the innings.
Full length – Hit or Miss aspects of the team
Bowling up-top
No team dare compared to Kolkata’s woes with the ball in the powerplay last season as the team conceded runs at an alarming 9.79 an over through the six-over phase– the next worst unit was the Sunrisers Hyderabad with a significantly better economy of 9.30. The franchise’s strike capabilities when field restrictions were in place were not much better either, with only Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings, and Lucknow Super Giants having a worse average than their 39.14 during the initial phase.
However, the team has proactively sought to remedy the situation by bringing in three powerplay specialists in Starc, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Chetan Sakariya. Given the much lesser degree of variance in skillset in T20s from other formats when operating with the new ball as compared to the death, Starc remains an effective powerplay weapon, boasting an economy of 7.23 albeit while averaging over 30 across the previously mentioned period. Sakariya, on the other hand, has an even better career powerplay economy of 6.55 in the IPL and Mujeeb’s corresponding number in the T20Is is 6.44, at a stellar average of 21.1. The side has also retained their best performer with the new ball from last year, Harshit Rana, who had an economy of 7.93 with an average of 27.75. Should the team manage to find the right combinations using the Impact Player rule and these players find form, they could reverse their powerplay fortunes in 2024.
Mysteries of the spin trio
How can we talk about KKR without discussing their fetish for mystery spin bowlers, especially now that Gautam Gambhir is back in the setup having first brought Sunil Narine into the mix. Over a decade later, the contingent has now grown to three with the additions of Varun Chakravarthy and last year’s surprise find Suyash Sharma. KKR’s spinners sent down 1,305 balls in 2023, by far the highest tally with Chennai Super Kings a good 200 balls behind them despite the latter operating on slow-turning decks and playing two additional playoff games. However, the volume did not translate to out-and-out success as the spinners only had the fifth-best economy and sixth-best average in the league. All three went at nearly eight an over and only Chakravarthy averaged under 30 (21.45), scalping 20 of the 41 wickets amongst the trio.Â
Nevertheless, Suyash finished the domestic T20 competition SMAT with 18 wickets at an astounding average of 7.22 and an even more stunning economy of 4.64 despite Delhi facing several genuine contenders through the tournament. One can only guess which versions of Narine and Chakravarthy show up considering both have shown the ability to rip through batting units in the past and KKR’s fortune could to a large extent depend on the fluctuating form of this enigmatic triumvirate.
Yorker - The lethal X-factors
Rinku Singh and Andre Russell’s six-hitting prowess
KKR averaged a whopping 8.93 sixes per game in IPL 2023, the highest of any team in the tournament. Their sixes tally of 125 was also the third highest behind just Chennai and Mumbai, of which 47 were struck by Rinku Singh and Andre Russell alone. The former finished as the ninth-highest run-getter last season with 474, was the only better in the top 10 to not operate in the top four of the team, and had the best average (81.50) of any batter to face at least 100 balls of pace. He has since more or less cemented his place in the Indian World T20 squad with a dream start to his international career, averaging 89 with a strike rate of 175-plus on the back of multiple match-winning knocks through his first 15 T20Is. Should Dre Russ manage to reach top gear in tandem with Rinku in the upcoming season, may God save the rival death bowlers.
Beamer - Where the team could completely lose the plot Â
Stable but rigid foreign contingent
Kolkata Knight Riders have had two foreign slots sealed for Sunil Narine and Andre Russell for over a decade now, unlike any other team in IPL history, and with the addition of Starc and Salt perhaps have the most stable overseas contingent heading into IPL 2024. While that may sound like a win for the franchise’s auction strategy, it can backfire heavily in case of a slump in form or an unfortunate injury. Gurbaz, Mujeeb, Sherfane Rutherford, and Dushmantha Chameera inspire little confidence to substantially compensate for the absence of one of the big guns. Thus, all KKR can do is pray they remain in Lady Fortune’s good graces.