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Project rebuild: Can the revolutionary Captain Morgan turn a broken team around in IPL 14?

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Arguably the most glamorous team in the competition ever since the inception of the Indian Premier League in 2008, the two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders have their task cut out ahead of the 14th season of the extravaganza. If you look back at the history of Kolkata Knight Riders, the franchise has come a long way from its controversy-stricken days to the era of Gautam Gambhir, under whose leadership, Kolkata were a ruthless machine. Under his leadership, KKR won two titles in 2012 and 2014. 

During the launch of the mega-event back in 2008, Sourav Ganguly was named the icon captain of the team but despite his leadership prowess in national colours, KKR didn’t manage to make it to the semi-finals in any of the first three seasons. The Shahrukh Khan owned franchise had to let go of the services of “The Prince of Kolkata” but what transpired in the next few seasons made the decision a bold and correct one. 

Under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir, KKR qualified for the playoffs for the first time in 2011 and then went onto win two titles in 2012 and 2014 respectively. The aggressive leadership quality gelled well with the team and the results were there for everyone to see. However, after Gambhir’s departure, KKR’s tale in the IPL has been “so near yet so far”. 

Dinesh Karthik was handed over the captaincy reigns ahead of the 2018 season and KKR played some good cricket in patches but they always lacked that killer instinct. However, the emergence of some young sensations really set the tone for the former champions. 

The emergence of Shubman Gill and fast bowlers Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Prasidh Krishna has benefited India in the long run. Youngsters kept chipping in with vital performances in the upcoming seasons but the Midas touch was missing. In the last season, KKR didn’t have the best of times. The Kolkata based side was marred by controversies around captaincy, inability to figure out a settled batting line-up and a string of poor performances by their top players. Despite winning their final group game handsomely, they were put in a position where they had to wait for other results to qualify into the playoffs. However, the result didn’t go their way and they had to bow out of the tournament. 

Ahead of the 14th season, they seem to be a balanced unit having batsmen mixed with caution and aggression and bowlers with enormous variety. They have bought some big names in the mini-auction in the likes of Shakib Al Hasan, Harbhajan Singh and Ben Cutting.

Players bought by KKR in IPL Auction 2021

Shakib Al Hasan (3.2 crores), Harbhajan Singh (2 crores), Ben Cutting (75 lakhs), Karun Nair (50 lakhs), Pawan Negi (50 lakhs), Venkatesh Iyer (20 lakhs), Sheldon Jackson (20 lakhs), Vaibhav Arora (20 lakhs) 

Full squad

Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Tim Seifert (wk), Rahul Tripathi, Rinku Singh, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Eoin Morgan (c), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun CV, Kuldeep Yadav, Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Sandeep Warrier, Prasidh Krishna, Shakib Al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Vaibhav Arora, Karun Nair, Harbhajan Singh, Ben Cutting, Venkatesh Iyer, Pawan Negi

Is Shubman Gill’s strike rate a concern at the top of the order?

There is certainly no doubt about the fact that Gill is one of the most promising young Indian batsmen going around. After making his name in Purple and Gold colours, Gill has also gone onto establish himself in the national set-up. His performances Down-Under have been commendable but when it comes to the shortest format does Gill’s relatively low strike rate becomes a concern for KKR? During a recent interview, Gill had said that strike rate for him is a bit overrated and he is not bothered at all. However, looking at the larger picture Gill must try to up his ante in the upcoming season. 

A sheet anchor in any team is of utmost importance but consuming a lot of deliveries against teams studded with power hitters might go onto backfire quite a bit. His strike rate of 117. 96 in the previous edition had put some undue pressure on the other batsmen and KKR might look to tinker with that strategically.

Have the bowlers found an idea to stop the Muscle Russell? 

Russell’s enigmatic personality definitely gives KKR the edge on several occasions. However, in the last season, Russell was found out on several occasions with opponents figuring out how to deal with the mighty blows. The last season proved to the most lacklustre one for Russell by far. He had a torrid time and scored just 117 runs in 10 matches at a below-par average of 13. 

Russell won quite a few matches for KKR almost single-handedly in the 2019 season and fireworks were expected from him even in the last edition as well. However, he seemed rusty struggling with his back or his knee for almost all of the season. His form with the bat was a huge difference in the 2019 edition for the two-time champions. If KKR harbour hopes of winning the third title in 2021, Russell has to fire all cylinders. 

Captain Morgan 

Midway through the last season, Dinesh Karthik handed over the captaincy reigns to Eoin Morgan to concentrate on his batting. Regarded as one of the most revolutionary leaders of the white ball game, the English World Cup-winning skipper will definitely look to make a difference this time around especially given the fact that he has got the mantle of the team from the start.

Who would question Morgan’s leadership abilities? The way he transformed England into the best team in the world after the 2015 World Cup debacle is quite commendable. He is a sensational batsman to have in the middle order and even holds the record for hitting the most number of sixes in a single game in the ODI format. His form will also be very crucial for KKR to do well in the upcoming IPL. 

The formidable bowling line-up 

The bowling department has all its bases covered. Starting from attacking fast bowlers who consistently click high speeds to having mystery spinners who can bamboozle any batsmen on their day, KKR seems to have one of the best bowling line-ups in the competition. 

Led by Pat Cummins, the fast bowling cartel also comprises Indian youngsters Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi and Prasidh Krishna. The presence of Lockie Ferguson who made a substantial impact for KKR last season will also come in handy when given the opportunities. 

When it comes to spinners, KKR will be bolstered by the return of Shakib Al Hasan. He is a world-class spinner and his addition to the team will surely lend an ideal balance to the team. However given such a big pool of quality foreign players, it will be difficult for the skipper and the team management to pick the XI. Varun Chakravarthy was a revelation for KKR last season and weaved his magic quite consistently. However, KKR will be a tad worried about Kuldeep Yadav’s form. He might not be a certainty in the XI just what transpired last season. 

Strongest Possible XI 

Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (c), Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Kuldeep Yadav, Pat Cummins, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy

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