Kolkata Knight Riders best player selection
KKR Best Match XII: Among the teams that have won the title in the IPL so far is the name KKR i.e. Kolkata Knight Riders. The team has won the cup twice, however the team’s performance in recent years has not lived up to expectations. When the team management came to the auction this time, they must have already decided that Mitchell Starc had to come along at all costs. This was the reason why its price reached Rs 24.75 crore but KKR did not stop chasing it. After that, however, the team no longer had enough money to buy another high-priced player. Now let’s try to understand what the team’s possible playing XI might look like when they take part in the IPL next year.
KKR bought these players for next year’s IPL
KKR was in the news a lot on the evening of December 19, the day of the IPL auction. The reason for this was Mitchell Starc, on whom the team spent generously. Some said this was the right price for Mitchell, but others also said he was overpaid. Apart from spending Rs 24.75 crore on Mitchell Starc, the team has added other players to its squad including Mujeeb Ur Rahman worth Rs 2 crore, Sherfane Rutherford worth Rs 1.5 crore, Gus Atkinson worth Rs 1 Crore, KS Bharat worth Rs 50 Lakh and Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh worth Rs 20 Lakh, Manish Pandey worth Rs 50 Lakh and Saqib Hussain worth Rs 20 Lakh. That means the team didn’t spend big money on any other player other than Mitchell Starc.
KKR have no experienced players to bowl with Mitchell Starc.
The Kolkata Knight Riders have bought Mitchell Starc but at the other end there is no big Indian or foreign player to bowl with him. The team consists of Gus Atkinson, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Chetan Sakariya and Saqib Hussain. However, the team will not be able to field a foreign player alongside Mitchell Starc in the starting XI as there can only be four foreign players in the starting XI and the composition of the team is such that there are many more foreign players. In such a situation, young and new bowlers like Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora and Chetan Sakariya will be seen alongside Mitchell Starc. Mitchell only bowled four overs. In such a situation, the opposing team will try to score these four overs and attack the bowlers from the other end. This can lead to tension within the team.
Only one of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Jason Roy will get a chance
Venkatesh Iyer can take the responsibility of opening the team on one side while a foreign batsman is needed on the other side. The team has two options for this. Jason Roy and Rahmanullah Gurbaz. This means that this is where the spot for the first foreign player will land. The team can only give a chance to one player other than Jason and Gurbaz in the starting lineup. Shreyas Iyer will come at number three, Nitish Rana at number four and then Rinku Singh at number five. Andre Russell will come in at number six. This means there appears to be a lack of batting depth somewhere on the team. However, the team must breathe a sigh of relief with the arrival of Ramandeep. He can also be given a chance in the starting lineup. Ramandeep had recently performed well in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The team also bought Manish Pandey at a bargain price. He can also be seen in the starting XI but Manish Pandey’s bat hasn’t done much in the last few seasons so not much can be expected from him. Only one player between Ramandeep and Manish Pandey is seen playing. Captain Shreyas Iyer will have to decide.
Opener: Jason Roy, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Angkrish Raghuvanshi
Middle order: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, KS Bharat (wicketkeeper), Manish Pandey, Sherfane Rutherford
All-rounder: Andre Russell, Anukul Roy, Ramandeep Singh
Fast bowler: Mitchell Starc, Gus Atkinson, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Chetan Sakariya, Saqib Hussain
Crackhead: Sunil Narine, Varun Chakraborty, Suyyash Sharma, Mujeeb Ur Rehman
KKR’s expected starting XI in the first game: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Sunil Narine, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakraborty, Suyyash Sharma.
Read this sports news on India TV too