Kolkata Knight Riders, two-time champions of the Indian Premier League have everything a good T20 side needs. An explosive top-order, best in the world all-rounders and a good bowling line-up. With Gautam Gambhir at the helm of the Knight Riders side, they have performed consistently well, gelled as a team and have won the title in 2012 and 2014.
Jacques Kallis has been instrumental for them as a player and post-retirement will don the mentorship role alongside two yesteryear stars in Simon Katich (batting coach) and Wasim Akram (bowling coach). Like always, KKR retained almost their entire squad before the 2016 auctions, where they bought only 6 players.
The Gambhir-Uthappa combination has been instrumental for them while Narine has been a revelation with the ball. Andre Russell’s inclusion proved to be a masterstroke as he shone with both bat and ball for the Knights last year.
Starting a new season in VIVO IPL 2016, the Knights will be backing themselves to grab their third title with the well-balanced set-up that they have.
How did the auctions go for them?
KKR retained the core of their team as 15 players were retained in total, the second highest number of retentions after Mumbai Indians. They also bought the least number of players, 6 in total.
Fast-bowlers Jayadev Unadakat and Ankit Rajpoot were the most expensive buys in the auction (1.6 and 1.5 crores respectively) while John Hastings and Jason Holder were bought to give the bowling attack an extra boost. Colin Munro was an absolute steal for 30 lacs while uncapped all-rounders R Satish and Manan Sharma were roped in for 20 lakh and 10 lakh respectively.
Strengths:
KKR have literally everything, a dependable top order, an explosive middle order, world-class all-rounders and a top bowling attack. Gambhir and Uthappa have the role of stitching vital partnerships at the top while Pandey’s is to anchor the innings and accelerate later.
Yusuf Pathan and Andre Russell can demolish any attack with ease on their day. Shakib al Hasan completes a daunting batting line-up. The bowling is well led by mystery spinner Sunil Narine, and all eyes will be on him as he is coming back from suspension for illegal action. With pacer Morne Morkel in the mix as well, it will be a tough outing for any opposition against KKR.
Weaknesses:
One of the main concerns will be the team’s performance away from home. Defending their crown last year, KKR made a mess of their matches away from Kolkata. Another area of concern will be the form of their middle and lower-middle order.
Yusuf Pathan has not been in a great touch while Shakib’s performance with the bat in World T20 was nowhere near his best. With only 4 slots available for foreigners, Russell, Shakib, Morne Morkel and Sunil Narine are likely to make the cut.
Franchise Details:
Owner : Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, Jay Mehta
Captain : Gautam Gambhir
Home : Eden Gardens, Kolkata
History : 2008- League stages, 2009- League stage, 2010- League stage, 2011- playoffs, 2012- WINNERS, 2013- League stage, 2014- Champions, 2015- League stages
Kolkata Knight Riders squad for IPL 2016:
Foreigners : Chris Lynn, Colin Munro, Sunil Narine, Morne Morkel, Andre Russell, Brad Hogg, Shakib Al Hasan, Jason Holder, John Hastings.
Indians : Gautam Gambhir (Captain), Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Sheldon Jackson, Manan Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Umesh Yadav, Ankit Rajpoot, Jayadev Unadkat, Yusuf Pathan, Rajgopal Satish.
Kolkata Knight Riders schedule for IPL 9:
| Date | Opposition | Venue | Time |
| 10th April 2016 | Delhi Dardevils | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 20:00 |
| 13th April 2016 | Mumbai Indians | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 20:00 |
| 16th April 2016 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Rajiv Gandhi Intl. Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad | 16:00 |
| 19th April 2016 | Kings XI Punjab | PCA Cricket Stadium, Mohali | 20:00 |
| 24th April 2016 | Rising Pune Supergiants | Maharashtra Cricket Association's International Stadium, Pune | 20:00 |
| 28th April 2016 | Mumbai Indians | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | 20:00 |
| 30th April 2016 | Delhi Daredevils | Ferozeshah Kotla, Delhi | 16:00 |
| 2nd May 2016 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore | 20:00 |
| 4th May 2016 | Kings XI Punjab | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 20:00 |
| 8th May 2016 | Gujarat Lions | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 20:00 |
| 14th May 2016 | Rising Pune Supergiants | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 20:00 |
| 16th May 2016 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 20:00 |
| 19th May 2016 | Gujarat Lions | TBD | TBD |
| 22nd May 2016 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 16:00 |
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