Kolkata Knight Riders had a season to forget last time out as they finished a disappointing 7th last season. Last time out, Kolkata Knight Riders suffered a disappointing 7th-place finish, making it a season to forget. They were a team whose performance peaked early on but has since fallen off significantly. Brendon McCullum has been replaced as their head coach by Chandrakant Pandit. With a new team and coaching staff, KKR will looking to add a third title to their name and a first since 2014. Let’s take a close look at Kolkata Knight Riders team for this season’s IPL.

Batting

Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, and Venkatesh Iyer would likely make up the top three. They can all bat for extended stretches and serve as the innings’ anchors. Another option to start the innings may be Litton Das, who could provide KKR the explosive starts they desperately need. The designated finishers, Shakib Al Hasan and Andre Russell, will try to make a big score towards the end of the inning. Shardul Takur and Sunil Narine are more than capable and, once they get rolling, will be dangerous.

All-rounders

 Kolkata Knight Riders is blessed with many world class all-rounders. KKR excels in this department thanks to the availability of Venketesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Shardul Thakur. They are all capable batsmen who can each bowl four overs for the team. Ankul Roy, who recently had a successful domestic campaign, is also a possibility for KKR.

Bowlers

Lockie Ferguson who was part of Gujarat Titans title winning team is now part of the KKR setup. He along with Tim Southee would be KKR’s preferred bowling option in the start and end of the innings. KKR would be relying on Shardul Thakur and Rinku Singh as their Indian pace options. Venkatesh Iyer and Andre Russel will be crucial as KKR would look to use them in the middle overs. KKR also has a lot of options when it comes to the spin department. Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan and Varun Chakravarthy would walk into most of the teams playing eleven.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Strength

Kolkata’s Indian batting option looks solid as they have proven talents like Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh. Over the years, KKR appears to have placed a particular emphasis on building their all-around department. Andre Russell and Sunil Narine have won the franchise numerous games with both the bat and the ball over the past few seasons. Add Venkatesh Iyer and Shakib Al Hasan to them and they have 4 world class all-rounders in their starting lineup. Their spin bowling department seems good because they have the mystery and variations of Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, and Shakib Al Hasan with this experience.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Weakness

Lack of a reliable opening combination was one of the main causes of KKR’s difficulties during IPL 2022. Ajinkya Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer played in the first matches. After that, it became more of a game of musical chairs with opportunities being given to Aaron Finch, Narine, Sam Billings, and Baba Indrajith. This time, they have several choices, and they will be aiming to settle on a batting lineup. The team has not yet decided on a wicket-keeper. Another issue is the Indian pace battery. If they miss their line and length, Shardul Takur, Umesh Yadav, and Vaibhav Arora could go for runs.

 

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) full squad for 2023

Wicketkeepers: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (AFG), N. Jagadeesan, Litton Das (BAN).

Batters: Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Mandeep Singh.

All-rounders: Venkatesh Iyer, Anukul Roy, Andre Russel (WI), Shardul Thakur, Shakib Al Hasan (BAN), David Wiese (NAM).

Bowlers: Lockie Ferguson (NZ), Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine (WI), Tim Southee (NZ), Varun Chakravarthy, Umesh Yadav, Suyash Sharma, Vaibhav Arora, Kulwant Khejroliya.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) expected playing eleven:

Venkatesh Iyer, Litton Das, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, Shakib Al Hasan, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy. 

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fixture list for IPL 2023

Here are the full fixture list for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

Date and Time	Match Details
Sat, Apr 01 10:00 AM GMT | 03:30 PM LOCAL	Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 2nd Match IPL 2023 Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali
Thu, Apr 06 02:00 PM GMT | 07:30 PM LOCAL	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 9th Match IPL 2023 Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Sun, Apr 09 10:00 AM GMT |03:30 PM LOCAL	Gujarat Titans vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 13th Match IPL 2023 Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Fri, Apr 14 02:00 PM GMT | 07:30 PM LOCAL	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 19th Match IPL 2023 Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Sun, Apr 16 10:00 AM GMT | 03:30 PM LOCAL	Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 22nd Match IPL 2023 Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Thu, Apr 20 02:00 PM GMT | 07:30 PM LOCAL	Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 28th Match IPL 2023 Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Sun, Apr 23 02:00 PM GMT | 07:30 PM LOCAL	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings, 33rd Match IPL 2023 Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Wed, Apr 26 02:00 PM GMT | 07:30 PM LOCAL	Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 36th Match IPL 2023 M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Sat, Apr 29 10:00 AM GMT | 03:30 PM LOCAL	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Gujarat Titans, 39th Match IPL 2023 Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Thu, May 04 02:00 PM GMT| 07:30 PM LOCAL	Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 47th Match IPL 2023 Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
Mon, May 08 02:00 PM GMT | 07:30 PM LOCAL	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings, 53rd Match IPL 2023 Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Thu, May 11 02:00 PM GMT | 07:30 PM LOCAL	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, 56th Match IPL 2023 Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Sun, May 14 02:00 PM GMT | 07:30 PM LOCAL	Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 61st Match IPL 2023 MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Sat, May 20 02:00 PM GMT| 07:30 PM LOCAL	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Lucknow Super Giants, 68th Match IPL 2023 Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Also read the full team analysis for Mumbai Indians.