IPL is less than a week away. The teams are scheduled to go head to head and battle it out for the ultimate crown as well as lay their hands on the coveted trophy. Almost all teams are worthy of grabbing attention and being cynosure of all eyes, and two-time champion Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is no exception. Gautam Gambhir’s men will be eyeing another title win in IPL 10 to become the most successful side in the history of the tournament: if they indeed pull that off, it will be quite an achievement, given that they were the only side to make it to the semi-final in any of the first four editions of the tournament. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Gujarat Lions vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Match 3 at Rajkot
As mentioned, KKR were shaky in the first three seasons under the leadership Sourav Ganguly and Brendon McCullum. The Knight Riders then underwent a complete overhaul during the 2011 auctions. A new skipper in the form of Gambhir took over the reins. The result eventually showed in the fifth season when they managed to win their maiden title by beating defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at their own yard, in 2012. They went on to repeat the same heroics a couple of seasons later, by beating Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in 2014.
KKR’s success and record titles all have come under Gambhir . KKR have also been consistent in making it to the play-offs stage on most occasions under him, and have done a decent job once they reached there. They lost the Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2016, but SRH went on to life the title. KKR has also seen changes in the management following the opening three seasons. Dav Whatmore, Trevor Bayliss and Jacques Kallis have taken up roles. Wasim Akram has withdrawn from this edition, but not before he has groomed the Knight Riders fast bowlers for years. They have also roped in Brett Lee. IPL Auction 2017: KKR overhauls squad, possibly along with game-plan
Gambhir has also been KKR’s most prolific scorer. Wicketkeeper-opening batsman Robin Uthappa has been consistent, had won the Orange Cap in 2014, and was the second highest run-scorer for the side after Gambhir in 2016. Yusuf Pathan did not have a decent run during the initial three years after being roped in by KKR in 2011, but has found his groove since 2014. Manish Pandey has been a crucial presence as well, as has been all-rounder Suryakumar Yadav.
Sunil Narine has been impactful ever since he was roped in 2012. However, of late, he has faced issues regarding suspect action, and has underwent bowling action change which has certainly taken a toll on his performance, and KKR are in serious concern regarding his impact in the upcoming matches. The good news is that he has been a steady performer for West Indies, performing decently in both Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and Pakistan Super League (PSL). With Narine back to his prime, he is certainly one of those to keep an eye on this season.
Nevertheless, considering the signings during the auctions, KKR certainly raised quite a few eyebrows by acquiring some exciting players. Till date, KKR mostly relied on bowlers, especially spinners. They broke the trend somewhat this time, acquiring seamers and seam-bowling all-rounders like Chris Woakes, Rovman Powell, Trent Boult, Nathan Coulter-Nile (all overseas) and Rishi Dhawan and Sayan Ghosh (both local). It makes one wonder whether KKR have adopted a different mindset and tactics ahead of the upcoming season. Perhaps the dew at Eden Gardens has something to with that. Do not be surprised if you see a fast, green track. IPL 2017 revised Schedule: Fixture, Dates, Match Timings and Venue Details
KKR play their opening game on April 7 against Gujarat Lions (GL) at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot. GL have so far had an upper hand in both matches they have played against KKR last season. They will certainly be aiming to get off to a flying start against the Suresh Raina-led team, whom they are yet to beat. KKR’s squad is certainly stronger than the previous season, and it should not be a surprise if KKR manage to win the title for the record third time.
What team is Gambhir likely to field? GL are a batting-heavy side. Their batting line-up consists of Raina, Aaron Finch, Brendon McCullum, Jason Roy, Ravindra Jadeja, James Faulkner, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith and Dinesh Karthik (though only four overseas cricketers can play), KKR will have to field their best possible bowling attack.
They will obviously begin with Uthappa and Gambhir, followed by Pandey at No. 3. Darren Bravo and Yusuf Pathan can follow them, in that order. Shakib and Suryakumar can come next. The bowling will be spearheaded by Umesh Yadav, who has had a terrific home Test season. Umesh will be supported by Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav, who made an impact recently in the just concluded fourth Test against Australia; and Narine and Boult can make up the XI.
KKR starting XI for first match in IPL 2017: Gautam Gambhir (c), Robin Uthappa (wk), Manish Pandey, Darren Bravo, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, Suryakumar Yadav, Sunil Narine, Trent Boult, Umesh Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav.
Bench: Chris Lynn, Rovman Powell, Ishank Jaggi, Chris Woakes, Rishi Dhawan, Sheldon Jackson (wk), Ankit Rajpoot, Piyush Chawla, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Sayan Ghosh.
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