‘Korbo, lorbo, jeetbo re’ (shall do, shall fight, shall win) and KKR hai taiyaar (KKR is ready) have been the slogans for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) over the years. In reality, their performance over the past few seasons have been anything but that. Nothing seems to inject consistency into the setup, not even appointing the celebrated Eoin Morgan as captain.
With just two wins from seven matches, KKR are on the seventh spot in the IPL 2021 points table. Securing a Playoffs spot is not impossible but definitely improbable. Their head coach Brendon McCullum recently said that the team was ‘paralysed a little bit by fear’ in the first phase.
The question remains: do they have the fuel to sprint through the tough road overcoming the fear?
Adding to their woes, Pat Cummins has opted out of the tournament. Tim Southee has been roped in as the replacement.
KKR Squad: Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Tim Seifert (wk), Sheldon Jackson (wk), Tim Southee, Shakib Al Hasan, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Shubman Gill, Harbhajan Singh, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Karun Nair, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Pawan Negi, Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russell, Ben Cutting, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer
***
SWOT Analysis of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for IPL 2021
Strengths
Kuldeep played for India in Sri Lanka recently and did a reasonable job. Despite being an international cricketer of some repute, he struggles to find a spot in the KKR unit, which demonstrates the side’s strength in the spin department.
A vital cog in the KKR setup for 10 seasons now, Narine had an exceptional CPL, with 12 wickets at 14.6, going at less than four and a half. Chakravarthy’s phenomenal rise has carried him to the national T20 World Cup squad. Shakib ran through the Australian and New Zealand lineups at home, apart from scoring the vital runs on challenging surfaces. Not to forget Kuldeep’s skill-set and Harbhajan’s experience.
The spotlight again falls on Russell, who had a reasonable CPL. With a career strike rate of 180 in the IPL, his power-hitting will be the centre of attraction.
Ferguson, Krishna, Nagarkoti and Mavi can consistently clock speeds in excess of 140 kph.
In Morgan and McCullum, Kolkata have two smart brains helming them. More than the reputation, they will want the results to speak for them.
Weakness
KKR have struggled with batting. They have been disappointing in the Powerplay and also the middle overs. Gill and Morgan have averaged 18 and 15 respectively, striking in the mid-110s. Karthik has not been consistent enough, and in the absence of Cummins, there is more pressure on him and Russell in the death overs.
From being the next big thing of Indian cricket to bowling in the nets for KKR, Kuldeep’s downfall has been baffling. When he makes the cut, he seems to be plagued by the cloud of insecurity and seems to bowl for a spot in the next game. The team management will like to give him more freedom.
Morgan’s tactics have been questionable. Replacing Karthik as the franchise’s captain in mid-season last year, Morgan has struggled with the bat, has not used his resources well and allowed the advantage of net run rate to drift away.
Opportunities
KKR presents opportunities to Indian players, like Rana, Gill, Tripathi, Mavi, Krishna, Nagarkoti. Here is their chance to prove their mettle and raise their stakes for the following year’s mega auction and also press for an India berth.
Chakravarthy will fight for a spot in the India XI against R. Ashwin and Axar Patel in the T20 World Cup. Last season in the UAE, he claimed 17 wickets at 21 at an economy rate of under seven. Replicating that would strengthen his case.
When given an opportunity, Kuldeep should look to break the shackles and perform to his best ability. A strong showing can pave the path for him to the T20 World Cup squad. Cummins’ opting out is an opportunity for Ferguson to cement his spot in the XI.
Threats
Fractured relationships in the camp are the last thing KKR would want. Kuldeep recently expressed his disappointment, citing ‘weak’ communication from the team management. He also expressed his doubts about how Morgan views him.
Morgan has not been at his best in T20s this year. Even in The Hundred, he was far from his best. An off-form foreign captain hampers the team balance. If Morgan continues to play, either Shakib or Narine will have to warm the bench.
Gill’s statement on strike rate being overrated has not aged well. Since 2020, his IPL strike rate of 118 has been among the reasons for KKR’s batting woes. To rectify this, he will first have to acknowledge that strike rate is paramount in this format.
***
KKR’s likely starting XI: Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c)/Shakib Al Hasan, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Prasidh Krishna, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy
KKR’s remaining fixtures
- Monday, 20 September: KKR vs RCB (Abu Dhabi)
- Thursday, 23 September: KKR vs MI (Abu Dhabi)
- Sunday, 26 September: KKR vs CSK (Abu Dhabi)
- Tuesday, 28 September: KKR vs DC (Sharjah)
- Friday, 1 October: KKR vs PBKS (Dubai)
- Sunday, 3 October: KKR vs SRH (Dubai)
- Thursday, 7 October: KKR vs RR (Sharjah)