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IPL is just about a month away and the excitement has gripped the whole nation as it always does. This time the excitement is more just because 2 more teams have been added this year which makes it a 10 team IPL. What does that mean for the viewers? More games, more talent being unearthed. Let us talk about one of the most successful franchisees in the competition after MI & CSK. A team who has blown hot and cold in recent editions, owned by the Badshah of Bollywood King Khan, it is Kolkata Knight riders. 

Kolkata Knight Riders has always been a franchise which always retains its core and then builds up a team around the core. They have won the IPL twice in 2012 & 2014 and during both the instances it was their all rounders that chipped in. They have always depended on their all rounders to help them get through some difficult situations be it Jacques Kallis, Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan or Andre Russell. Chris Woakes, Rajat Bhatia, Colin De Grandhomme have been good additions to their side over the past few years. This franchise is all about all-rounders. Therefore, they have tasted success. Having all rounders helps the team balance a lot. What made them more successful was Gautam Gambhir’s leadership in 2012 and 2014. Karthik and Morgan have just not managed to produce the results fans would have expected them to get. 

Retained players

Let us look at the players KKR have retained this season. 

If we see the list it seems they have wasted too much money on spent forces Russell and Narine. They have been great assets to KKR but recently in the last few editions they have not managed to light up the IPL as they used to earlier. Spending 18 crores on them can be risky. At the same time, we don’t know when Russell and Narine might turn up to play on that day. On his day Russell can be as destructive as anyone and Narine can rip through an inexperienced line up with utmost ease but still somewhere we feel they have spent too much on both the players who are past their prime. 

Varun  Chakravarthy and Venkatesh Iyer are one for the future and it is good that they have picked them. A mystery spinner and a decent all-rounder who helped them reach the finals last time around would be needed to build a strong side for the future. This move is purely based keeping in mind the future of the franchise. This is where the retention of Narine and Russell is baffling to say the least. 

With the 4 retentions we might deep dive in to see the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats for KKR going into the auction table. 

SWOT Analysis:

Strengths:

They have made sure that there are 3 all rounders in the team. All of them can bat at different positions and be mighty destructive. This in fact gives them an added advantage over other teams going into the auctions as they can now focus on pure batters and bowlers to target in the auction. They have 4 of the 11 slots filled now they don’t need to worry much about all rounders slots. 

Weaknesses:

It is said that too many cooks spoil the broth. This can happen with a KKR side having too many all-rounders. Problem with having too many all-rounders is you don’t know who to send when in the batting order. Last year they literally wasted 2-3 good players because of the same strategy. Russell didn’t do anything in the last edition when he was expected to do more at the back end of the innings. 

Opportunities:

They need to have a good middle order batsman and a wicket taking bowler which they are lacking big time with their retentions. Last year they had Cummins and Lockie as the genuine wicket takers. Shubman Gill has been poached by Ahmedabad so that opener's position is still vacant. Most importantly they need a captain. 

Threats:

They will face a hard task when it comes to a pitch where the ball moves a bit as none of the retained batters are technically strong. They can tonk the ball a long way but everyday you won’t be getting the pitches where you can smack the leather of the ball. CSK exploited it very well in the finals when KKR were not given what they wanted in the powerplay chasing 200. 

Players to target:

Shreyas Iyer:

First and foremost, what they need is a captain who can lead the side well and handle big players. Shreyas Iyer is available at the auction and it is a no brainer that the teams with no captains will surely try to poach him. KKR need to have a captain who can handle the responsibility of a huge fan base. Sourav Ganguly mentioned that IPL will be staged in Mumbai this year so who better than a Mumbaikar to lead your side. He is a great no.3 and any team would love to have him in the team. Morgan and Karthik won’t be preferred this time around. Morgan is going through a slump in form and Dinesh Karthik will be available at the auction, but they would try to get a wicket keeper who can bat at the top. 

Jonny Bairstow:

This is a no brainer. After removing Karthik who was their captain for so many years, they would want a guy who can bat at the top and keep wickets too. There is no one as destructive as Jonny Bairstow when it comes to opening the batting. He has revolutionized top order batting in the last couple of years. We are expecting a bidding war for Jonny Bairstow and KKR would surely be  one of the teams who will look to acquire his services for the next 3 years. 

Kagiso Rabada: 

It was baffling to see Delhi not retain one of their most successful bowlers. KKR with no Lockie and Cummins would need a genuine wicket taker and Kagiso Rabada has lit up the IPL before and can do it again. KKR generally goes after proven performers and Rabada might just make the cut.

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