IPL 2020: Kolkata Knight Riders strongest possible playing XI after the auction

At the end of the IPL Auctions 2020, Kolkata Knight Riders have forged a formidable unit adding some valuable players to their squads. The auctions went as per plan for the two-time champions who invested big amounts on overseas players like Pat Cummins and Eoin Morgan.

Even uncapped Indian player Varun Chakravarthy bagged a whopping ₹4 crore in the auction but is unlikely to be part of the first XI atleast for the first few matches. The team has a good blend of youth and experience and will be one of the teams to watch out for next season.

Kolkata Knight Riders full squad

Batsmen: Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Shubman Gill, Siddesh Lad, Eoin Morgan, Tom Banton, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Nikhil Naik (wk)

All-rounders: Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Chris Green

Spinners- Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Manimaran Siddharth, Pravin Tambe

Fast bowlers- Harry Gurney, Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Lockie Ferguson

Now with the auctions done and dusted, let us have a look at the best possible playing XI for the Knight Riders.

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Openers

Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine,

Sunil Narine has been an integral part of the Kolkata Knight Riders set up for a long time now. He adds value to the side with his all-round skills. In the last couple of years, his batting at the top of the order has been a huge positive for KKR. He has the ability to smash the bowlers all around the park during the powerplay overs and has the 2nd fastest fifty in IPL history.

He has been a champion bowler for KKR. Ever since remodelling his bowling action, Narine hasn’t found the same purchase which made him such a sensation in white ball cricket. However, he is still a force to reckon with and will remain an asset for the two time champions.

Rahul Tripathi

Rahul Tripathi

Given his talent, Rahul Tripathi wil definitely start atleast for the first few matches. He has been a proven customer in IPL colours since his arrival in the tournament back in 2017. Tripathi was part of the now defunct Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017 and made a significant impact for them at the top of the order. He got them off to flying starts and scored 391 runs at an impressive strike rate of 146.

The top order batsman had a few off seasons with the Rajasthan Royals but he was hardly given an opportunity at the top of the order. KKR has bought them for a relatively low price of ₹60 lakhs and should give him an extended run at the top.

Middle Order

Shubhman Gill

Shubman Gill

The youngster will be an integral part of the KKR top order. After the departure of Robin Uthappa from the squad, Gill should bat at the top order. In the last two years, Gill has done an impressive job for the two-time champions despite not getting enough opportunities at the top order.

He is one of the finest young talents in India at the moment and this tournament will be another opportunity for him to prove his mettle against top-quality players.

Nitish Rana

Nitish Rana

The southpaw should be part of the playing XI given the maturity he has shown with the bat in the last few seasons for the Kolkata Knight Riders. Rana announced his arrival in IPL cricket back 2016 but only made a name next season while playing for the Mumbai Indians.

He was bought by KKR in 2018 and had a good season for them. The left-hander scored more than 300 runs in the last two seasons and looked in good touch for the major part of the tournament. Rana is also an useful part time spinner who can chip in with some crucial overs in the middle.

Eoin Morgan

Eoin Morgan

Buying Morgan in the auctions could work wonders for the KKR unit. While Dinesh Karthik will keep captaining the two time champions, the inclusion of Eoin Morgan will surely help Karthik a great deal in the field. The World Cup winning skipper could be a vital part of the KKR leadership group. Meanwhile, he is a fantastic middle order batsman who can literally hit sixes for fun.

The southpaw is an amazing striker of the ball and his array of shots was on display during the World Cup clash against Afghanistan not too long ago. KKR spent ₹5.25 crore for Morgan and should be looking to give him a long run.

Lower Order

Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik

Temptations of giving the captaincy to Eoin Morgan was definitely on the cards but the team management decided to retain Dinesh Karthik as the skipper. There is no question mark on the talent and the ability he posses.

However, his batting and captaincy have been far from influential in the last season. It could be a make or break season for Karthik who will be looking to change his fortunes as the KKR skipper. He is a terrific finisher and will look to take up the role in the coming season.

Andre Russell

Andre Russell

This man doesn’t need an introduction. An asset to any T20 team around the world, it was Andre Russell who single-handedly won KKR a few matches last season. He was simply astonishing, to say the least, but injuries played a part in restricting his participation in the later stages.

In one of the matches against RCB, Russell plundered the bowling all around the park and ensured KKR scored 52 in the last 13 deliveries of the match to win with an over to spare. Russell can also bowl with the new ball but injuries could be an issue for him going forward. If fit, he walks into any T20 team.

Bowlers

Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins scripted history in this year’s auction by becoming the second most expensive buy in the history of IPL after Yuvraj Singh. Cummins bagged a whopping ₹15.5 crore and will spearhead the KKR bowling line-up in the upcoming season. The last two years have been quite exceptional for the Aussie speedster. Cummins will add variety to the squad and his inclusion will be a huge boost for the team management.

The Delhi Capitals and the Royal Challengers Bangalore had a fierce bidding war to grab the services of Cummins. However, at the end of the day, it was KKR who surprised everyone by snatching him at a record price of ₹15.5 crore.

Shivam Mavi

Shivam Mavi was retained by KKR which goes onto prove the trust the management had on the youngster’s abilities. Mavi lacked the wicket-taking abilities in the last couple of seasons but was impressive in patches.

This could be a breakthrough year for Mavi especially with Pat Cummins being a guiding force in the bowling line-up. Mavi has been among the wickets in the domestic circuit and will definitely look to make an impression this season.

Kuldeep Yadav

The chinaman bowler had a tough time with the ball last season but he definitely adds extra spice to the bowling line-up. He is an exceptional young talent who again proved his worth against West Indies in the 2nd ODI by becoming the 1st ever Indian bowler to bag two international hat-tricks.

He might go for runs on occasions but is a definitely a wicket taking option. Kuldeep Yadav will start in the Kolkata line-up despite his disappointments last season.

Prasidh Krishna

Prasidh Krishna was roped in as a replacement for the imjured Kamlesh Nagarkoti two seasons ago and the youngster has gelled along quite well in the squad. He is a skiddy customer having the ability to hurry any top order batsmen. Prasidh had a sensational season with the ball in 2018.

It was on the back of his performances in 2018 that the youngster was given a long run last year. He was not at his best and had a modest season. Prasidh managed to bag just 4 wickets in 11 clashes. However the KKR team management showed enough faith by retaining Prasidh for the next season. With Kamlesh Nagarkoti yet to play a match for KKR, Prasidh Krishna might be the preferred choice Indian pacer along with Pat Cummins.