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Hey, IPL fans! Ready for an analysis of Kolkata Knight Riders’ game plan for IPL 2024? We’re breaking KKR SWOT Analysis 2024 down simply – strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of Kolkata Knight Riders. KKR finished 7th in IPL 2023 and would like to make an improvement this season. KKR had their own problems last year, with captain Shreyas Iyer being out of the team the whole season with an injury. Big-match players like Andre Russell and Sunil Narine were average in form.
Kolkata has done a fair bit of shopping for IPL 2024. Mitchell Starc (the most expensive player in IPL History) was KKR’s main buy from the auction. Did they spend too much on Mitchell Starc? Was there another weakness left even after the IPL Auction? Lets Analysis –
Kolkata Knight Riders Squad for IPL 2024
KS Bharat, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Shreyas Iyer, Jason Roy (Opted Out), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Sherfane Rutherford, Manish Pandey, Andre Russell, Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, Anukul Roy, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Chetan Sakariya, Harshit Rana, Suyash Sharma, Mitchell Starc, Gus Atkinson (Opted Out), Sakib Hussain, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Dushmantha Chameera, Phil Salt.
Coach:- Chandrakant Pandit
Kolkata Knight Riders Strengths:
Cracking Indian Batters:
Kolkata Knight Riders have an impressive batting lineup featuring explosive Indian batters like Shreyas Iyer, Rinku Singh, Nitish Rana, Manish Pandey, and Venkatesh Iyer. These Indian players are immensely experienced and have played in the Indian Premier League for so many years. This will certainly make it easier for KKR to choose their foreign picks.
Explosive Finishers:
With the likes of Rinku Singh and Andre Russell, KKR looks very dangerous for the death overs. Everyone is familiar with Rinku Singh’s heroic last season, where he smashed 5 sixes in a row to win the match for KKR against GT. Russell’s muscle power and ball-hitting ability is a massive game changer for any team.
Quality Spinner to Turn the Game:
Kolkata Knight Riders have one of the best spin attacks in the tournament, with Sunil Narine, Varun Chakraborty, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman. This Experienced spinning lineup will have the company of the young and aspiring hands of Suyash Sharma and Anukul Roy.
Settled Four Overseas:
KKR has settled four overseas players, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Mitchell Starc, to pick in the team. These four players should ideally play most of the matches for KKR Best Playing 11 2024. Other favorable options are opener Jason Roy and Afghan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who can make it to the KKR’s Strongest playing 11 in IPL 2024.
Kolkata Knight Riders Weaknesses:
Lack of Indian Top Order:
The problem for Kolkata Knight Riders lies in the opening slot as they don’t have an experienced Indian Top order; the only top orders for KKR are Gurbaz, Jason Roy, and Venkatesh Iyer. The question is, how much can you rely on overseas openers if they are not performing well? No one has the answer. The overreliance on Gurbaz could pose a challenge if he fails to deliver consistently.
Starc, Sole Pace Warrior:
Mitchell Starc has a big role to play for KKR this season, not only because KKR doesn’t have any experienced pacer in the lineup but because of the price he comes with. The fast bowling role for KKR has to be handled by experienced Starc, Chetan Sakariya, and inexperienced Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana.
Kolkata Knight Riders Opportunities:
Home Pitch Advantage:
If KKR gets spin-friendly surfaces at Eden Gardens, it could capitalize on its quality spinners and dominate matches, especially at home. They have brilliant spinners in the team, including Sunil Narine, Varun Chakraborty, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and last year’s emerging star, Suyash Sharma.
Comeback Opportunities:
Mitchell Starc and Shreyas Iyer have the opportunity to make strong comebacks, and their performances will be crucial for KKR’s success in IPL 2024. Starc has the pressure of being the most expensive player in IPL history on his shoulders to perform to his career-best. At the same time, captain Shreyas Iyer has been excluded from the BCCI annual contract 2024 and would like to show his resilience to be in the contract.
Kolkata Knight Riders Threats:
Andre Russell and Sunil Narine’s form:
The biggest threat for KKR is Andre Russell and Sunil Narine’s form; these two are directly connected to KKR’s success, and if they fail to deliver this time around, it will be a huge problem for KKR.
Mitchell Starc’s Injury Curse:
Mitchell Starc is one of those fast bowlers whose life has injuries along with success. Starc has a history of missing the IPL due to injuries. He has not played a single season since 2015 for any team that bought him. KKR would be hoping for his well-being as this could be one of the biggest threats for them.
KKR Best Playing 11 IPL 2024
After KKR SWOT Analysis 2024, let’s take a look at the probable KKR Best Playing 11 IPL 2024. We’ll make Kolkata Knight Riders Strongest Playing 11 for IPL 2024 according to the squad and team composition. We have tried our best to make the KKR Best Playing 11 for IPL 2024.
KKR Best Playing 11 IPL 2024: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Phil Salt, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh/Suyash Sharma, Mitchell Starc, Chetan Sakariya, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora.
This could be the best playing 11 for KKR for IPL 2024; KKR has options to make adjustments in the best playing 11 in 2024; they can drop Jason Roy to play Sunil Narine in place of Ramandeep Singh/Suyash Sharma.
For me, Sunil Narine was not impactful last year. On the other hand, both Ramandeep Singh and Suyash Sharma were impressed with their performances. Playing an Indian spinner or pace all-rounder will open a slot for an explosive opening pair in Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Jason Roy. If KKR wants, they can also play Venkatesh Iyer as an opener in place of Roy to make way for Gus Atkinson.
Closing Note:
In summary, KKR’s strengths lie in its strong Indian batting, quality spinners, and a settled overseas starting XI. However, over-dependence on specific players and potential issues of players’ form, and bowling department could pose challenges for the team in IPL 2024. If their big match players can play up to their potential, then it is crystal clear for KKR to make it to the playoffs.
