The 2-times champions of the Indian Premier League, Kolkata Knight Riders are ready for the 13th edition of the tournament starting from September 19th. They did pretty well in the auction last year under Brendon McCullum as the new coach. They picked Pat Cummins for a record 15.50 Crore, making him the most expensive buy for IPL 2020.
Here we will discuss the probable playing 11 for the Knight Riders in IPL 2020. They have a good squad with plenty of options. Here is Cricindeed’s probable playing 11 for IPL 2020:
1. Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine is a legend of the t20 format. He has been one of the most important players for KKR in the history of the league. He has added even more value to the KKR side ever since he has started opening for them. Narine is a world-class bowler and has picked 122 wickets in 110 games at an economy of 6.67 and has also scored 771 runs in those 110 games at a whopping strike rate of 168.34! No doubt he will be one of the most important players for KKR this year.
2. Rahul Tripathi
Rahul Tripathi is a new addition to this KKR squad, and he is expected to open the innings. He did an excellent job opening the innings for the Rising Pune SuperGiant side in 2017 where he scored 391 runs in 14 games striking at 146.44. The right-handed opener plays pace as well as spin very well and can score quickly in the powerplay. He scored 141 runs in 8 games for the Rajasthan Royals last season where he batted lower down the order in most of the games.
3. Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill will bat at three for the Knight Riders along with Sunil Narine. Termed as the “future star”, Gill is rated very highly by the cricket experts. He made his debut for KKR in 2018 and batted in the middle-order initially before being promoted at the top. T has played only 27 games in the IPL but has already shown what he is capable of by scoring 499 runs at an average of 33.26, striking at 132.36. Hopes will be high on Gill, and he will surely want to make a name for himself in the IPL this year.
4. Eoin Morgan
English skipper in the limited-overs format, Eoin Morgan is another new addition to the KKR side. Morgan is a perfect pick considering that he plays spin very well and can score with a high strike rate in the middle overs. Morgan is an experienced campaigner and can be very crucial for them in crunch situations. Morgan hasn’t performed up to his standards yet but also hasn’t played continuously since 2013. This season he is expected to play most of the games and perform in them.
5. Dinesh Karthik (C & WK)
Skipper Dinesh Karthik will bat at 5 for his team. He has been an excellent performer in the IPL and was in great form last season. He scored 253 runs in 14 games striking at 146.24 and averaging 31.62 with his highest score being 97*. Karthik can bat in any situation against any bowling line-up and will be very crucial for the KKR side as a batter and as a leader too. Kolkata will hope that he performs well in both the roles and leads them to their 3rd title.
6. Nitish Rana
Nitish Rana will bat next for. KKR, He has cemented his place in the 11 on the back of some consistent performances in the past few years and his ability to anchor the innings in case of collapse and accelerate when needed gives an added advantage to the Knights, He has scored 1085 runs in 46 games in the IPL at an average of 29.32 and a strike rate of 134.61. He can bowl some part-time off-spinners when needed and is a great fielder too.
7. Andre Russell
Andre Russell is the essential player in the KKR squad. He is arguably the best hitter of the ball in T20 format currently and was in superb form last year. Russell scored 510 runs in 14 games at an unbelievable strike-rate of 204.81. He smoked 52 sixes last season and also picked 11 wickets. He was the one-man army last season, and the team management will expect him to do something similar this season.
8. Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins was the highest buy for this season, and he will want to justify his price tag. He has been in great form lately in both tests and odis and did well when Australia toured India last year. Cummins hits the deck hard and can bowl in the powerplay as well as in the death overs. He has 17 wickets in 16 games in the IPL, and he’ll want to make a name for himself in the IPL this year.
9. Kamlesh Nagarkoti
Kamlesh Nagarkoti is one of the stars from the U-19 Cricket World Cup in 2018. The Karnataka seamer attracted a lot of attention after that tournament and was eventually picked by KKR that year, but injuries kept him out of action for two years. He is looking fit now, and with KKR persisting with him for this long, he should start for them. He can bowl above 140 KPH, and it will be fascinating to see him in action this year.
10. Kuldeep Yadav
Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav will be one of the main spinners for KKR this year. The left-arm wrist-spinner will be very important in the spin-friendly tracks, and big grounds of UAE and KKR will want him to do well this year. E played only 9 games last season and picked only 4 wickets. He has 39 wickets in 40 games in the IPL which isn’t a true reflection of his talent. He will surely want to show everyone what he is capable of in IPL 2020.
11. Varun Chakravarthy
Varun Chakravarthy is a mystery-spinner from Tamil Nadu and grabbed everyone’s attention when he was picked for 8.4 crores in IPL 2019 by KXIP. He played only one game against KKR and was ruled out due to injury, This year KKR picked him, and with Piyush Chawla being not in the squad any more we can expect him on the field this year. He has performed well in the domestic tournaments and is known for his variations. It will be interesting to see how will he perform for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
This is our probable playing 11 for the Kolkata Knight Riders. They have a good set of players this season and expectations are high from them to perform this season.
