IPL 2018, playoffs: SWOT analysis of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

14 games, a rejigged franchise, a new captain, a jittery start, and then things worked out. They stumbled, slipped, and then found their mojo again. This season has not been a flawless one for the Kolkata Knight Riders, but more about scrapping and getting the job done, albeit in not a very pleasing manner.

They are now into the playoffs and will take on the Rajasthan Royals in the eliminator at their home ground, Eden Gardens.

We take a look at their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats leading in to the playoffs.

Strengths

The leadership of Dinesh Karthik, although not very fluid to start off, has slowly become more definitive and the man himself has grown as the captain of the team.

His moves on the field are affirmative and one that has the stamp of pragmatism at all times.

And then the spinners - Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla, and Sunil Narine - form the cornerstone of KKR's attack.

Also, the openers Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn have been a revelation for them this season. They have been exhilarating and very consistent with their starts which have allowed Dinesh Karthik to come lower down the order and apply the finishing touches to the innings.

Weakness

Curran has not been consistent at all

Not everything is hunky-dory for the men from the east. Their fast bowling remains a concern and in many ways is one of the big impediments for Dinesh Karthik as the leader.

Mitchell Johnson and Tom Curran have not yet played a match-winning role in 14 games, Shivam Mavi has looked promising, but has not been able to translate that into consistent performances.

Prasidh Krishna has been impressive, but the rest of the unit remains a big problem for KKR in their eliminator.

Opportunity

Russell holds the key

Having pointed out the weakness, one can easily shift towards the opportunity.

This is where KKR have the room to improve. Their fast bowlers need to step up and perhaps Mitchell Johnson could get a game. He has to bring all his experience to the fore for his side.

Andre Russell has been blowing hot and cold right through the season and the time is ripe for the big West Indian to put in one big effort with the ball for four overs.

Young Prasidh Krishna has to continue his good work and KKR would hope he does not cool his heels after an inspired spell in their final league game where he picked up four wickets.

And then there is Robin Uthappa, who has looked in pristine touch everytime he has walked out to bat, but has not played a decisive innings to win a match for his side. This is one big opportunity for him to iron out his chinks.

Threats

Karthik's leadership and his own game will be tested

For all the bravado and good work Dinesh Karthik has done with KKR this season, he is still an inexperienced captain when it comes to IPL playoffs, and how he responds to this pressure at home might well translate into how KKR perform at the Eden Gardens.

Almost all the teams have four solid overseas players, but for KKR that fourth spot has been a revolving door and although they have tried out a few options, no one has managed to drop the hammer and nail it as their own. This might come back to bite KKR in pressure scenarios and it will be interesting to see how Karthik and the management decide to deal with this particular threat.