Two-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders will be striving to change fortunes under the leadership of new captain Shreyas Iyer.
With retained as well as new players in the mix, Kolkata would be hopeful to go one step further than the runner-up finish in 2021. IANS takes a look at how KKR stack up:
Strength
The mainstays in Kolkata’s batting are two India players who have been in form of late: Venkatesh Iyer and Shreyas Iyer. Venkatesh came to prominence after smashing 370 runs in the UAE leg of IPL 2021. Since then, he has made his T20I and ODI debuts, emerging as a promising finisher in the shorter formats of the game.
Shreyas, on the other hand, has been in sparkling form since the white-ball series against the West Indies earlier this year. He then went on to register a hat-trick of half-centuries in the T20Is against Sri Lanka. In between, he was picked by Kolkata for a whopping Rs 12.25 crore in the mega auctions, and will now lead the side. Other Indian batting options include Ajinkya Rahane and Nitish Rana.
Weakness
Kolkata’s main spinners include Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine. But the duo has been affected by knee injuries and suspicion over their bowling action in the recent past. Moreover, their talismanic all-rounder Andre Russell has his troubles with knee or hamstring injury. Kolkata also need to figure out who will be their power-play and slog over bowlers, as Umesh Yadav hasn’t been a regular starter in last two editions of the IPL.
Opportunity
Chance for Venkatesh and Shreyas to improve their credentials as T20 players, especially as a captain for the latter after being in the same position for Delhi Capitals earlier.
Threat
They need to be mindful of injuries to injury-prone players like Chakravarthy and Russell. With Aaron Finch and Pat Cummins unavailable for the first five matches, Kolkata need to ensure that their replacements perform well till the Australian duo arrives.