IPL 2018: Comprehensive team analysis and probable playing XIs

Kolkata Knight Riders

KKR will be hoping that Chris Lynn is available for the entire tournament

Kolkata Knight Riders look a bowling heavy side. They spent a huge amount of money on the bowlers which meant they had to sacrifice on the batting front. They will need to be cautious as the move can backfire.

Kolkata Knight Riders Squad

Sunil Narine, Andrew Russell, Mitchell Starc, Chris Lynn, Dinesh Karthik, Robin Uthappa, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Shubman Gill, Ishank Jaggi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Nitish Rana, Vinay Kumar, Rinku Singh, Shivam Mavi, Cameron Delport, Apoorv Wankhade, Mitchell Johnson (injured but no replacement named), Javon Searles

Batsmen - Kolkata Knight Riders surprised everyone by not buying well established international batsmen in the auction. Instead, they went for players like Robin Uthappa and Dinesh Karthik who have been consistent performers in domestic cricket and the IPL. They also bought young exciting talents like Shubman Gill, who was the man-of-the-series in the Under 19 World Cup, and Nitish Rana who was sensational playing for Mumbai Indians last season. With Chris Lynn's availability still in doubt, it will be interesting to see how KKR fare with the bat this season.

All-rounders - Andre Russell and Javon Searles are the only two all-rounders in the side. Russell will be making his comeback in the IPL and will be vital to KKR's chances of lifting their third IPL title. With his batting heroics last season, Sunil Narine can also be considered an all-rounder who can score crucial runs for the side.

Bowlers - Bowling will be KKR's forte this year. They have a potent bowling unit with Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav and Mitchell Starc in the mix. They will also have the services of seasoned campaigners Piyush Chawla and Vinay Kumar who have years of IPL experience behind them. KKR also invested huge bucks in India U19 pace sensations Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi. With their batting on the lighter side, KKR's bowling unit will have to come to the party.

Predicted Playing XI - Robin Uthappa, Chris Lynn, Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Dinesh Karthik (C & WK), Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Sunil Narine, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav