A pretty quiet season in the 2022 Indian Premier League may be behind KKR's busy activity in terms of player acquisition and general squad refurbishments. They released several players ahead of the 2023 auction and brought in a number of replacements.
The news that captain Shreyas Iyer will be missing for at least the first half of the IPL 2023 season is a huge blow for the two-time champions, but their squad depth looks to be very strong.
Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2022 performance
After clinching a playoff spot and in turn reaching the final in 2021, a seventh-placed finish was immensely disappointing for the Knight Riders. Shreyas was largely imperious as he top-scored with 401 runs in 14 innings.
He was ably supported by Nitish Rana and the incredible Andre Russell as both struck over 300 runs, with the latter scoring his at a strike rate of 174.5. Rinku Singh was a solid find as he played a number of solid hands, scoring 174 runs in seven innings. Other big names were unable to produce, though, with the likes of Sam Billings, Ajinkya Rahane, Aaron Finch unable to provide consistent support. Shreyas' namesake Venkatesh could not reproduce the form from his stellar 2021 breakout campaign.
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| Sunil Narine is inarguably one of the best overseas imports in IPL history and will once again be a key part in the hopes of KKR in IPL 2023 [CREDIT: IPLT20] |
Sunil Narine was typically miserly with the ball, fulfilling his four-over quota in each of his 14 matches played, with a brilliant economy rate of just 5.57. Russell was KKR's leading wicket-taker with 17. Umesh Yadav rediscovered his best form to produce a number of top-quality performances, picking up 16 wickets for the season.
Australian Test captain Pat Cummins was incredibly expensive and was replaced in the XI by Kiwi Tim Southee, who picked up 14 scalps in nine matches. Varun Chakravarthy had a very disappointing season as he picked up just six wickets in 11 matches.
What squad changes have Kolkata Knight Riders made via the IPL auction?
Knight Riders, following the disappointing 2022 season, have acted strongly by ringing the changes throughout their squad. High-profile internationals in Cummins, Billings, Alex Hales and Aaron Finch were let go, along with India internationals Rahane and Shivam Mavi.
They brought in India international Shardul Thakur and overseas duo Lockie Ferguson and Rahmanullah Gurbaz via trades from Delhi Capitals and Gujurat Titans respectively. Kolkata headlined their auction activity through the addition of the brilliant Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al-Hasan.
Shakib's international teammate Litton Das, who has been in great form recently, was also brought in alongside experienced Namibia international David Wiese.
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| Shardul Thakur was traded to KKR prior to the IPL 2023 auction and will provide international quality to an already-strong squad [CREDIT: IPLT20] |
KKR were also active in bringing in established Indian talent. Narayan Jagadeesan was among the pick of the uncapped domestic players at the 2023 auction after an extraordinary run of form in 50-over cricket that was highlighted by a record-breaking 277. Mandeep Singh was picked up to add depth to the batting, while Vaibhav Arora was added following good promise shown for Punjab Kings.
How is the squad shaping up ahead of the start of IPL 2023?
Potential starting XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Narayan Jagadeesan, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Shakib Al-Hasan, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy
There does not look like being an easily-predicted starting XI for KKR this season, with considerable strength in depth. The injury to Shreyas may force their hand to some degree, though it may be as simple as Mandeep or Venkatesh coming in as a straight replacement initially.
The West Indies duo of Narine and Russell are locks for two of the four overseas slots, with Shakib another strong option. As with a number of teams in this year's IPL, the amount of left-handers could affect who plays when and where.
For example, there is a strong chance that in Shreyas' absence, the likes of Venkatesh, Rana, Rinku and Shakib will all be options within the top six, as well as Narine floating around. In that case, Mandeep and Gurbaz or Das will be important, while Russell may come in at six.
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| The initial absence of captain Shreyas Iyer may cause some selection headaches for the Eden Gardens side [CREDIT: IPLT20] |
The additions of Shakib, Thakur and Ferguson should provide an increase in quality to an attack that already included Narine, Umesh and Chakravarthy. KKR have a great balance to their attack, with the aggressive pace from Umesh, Russell and Ferguson coupled with the wicket-taking ability of Thakur and the mystery spin and control of Narine and Chakravarthy.
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