After a season of two halves, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) start afresh with a new skipper and overhauling of the squad which has some old names but the majority of them will be playing for the two-time champions for the first time. KKR retained the two star players from West Indies, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine while showing faith in IPL 2021’s breakout stars Venkatesh Iyer and Varun Chakravarthy.
Having parted ways with the World Cup-winning skipper Eoin Morgan, who led the side to the final last year, KKR went into the auction in search of a captain, which ended at the purchase of Shreyas Iyer for INR 12.25 crore. They bought back the likes of Nitish Rana, Shivam Mavi and the Australian Test skipper Pat Cummins while getting steal deals for Ajinkya Rahane, Mohammad Nabi and Umesh Yadav, who will be playing for the Men in Purple after a gap of 5 years.
As KKR open their IPL 2022 campaign against the defending champions in the first game of the tournament, let’s take a look at the likely playing XI:
Openers: Venkatesh Iyer and Ajinkya Rahane – The breakout star of IPL 2021’s UAE leg, Iyer will retain his position as an opener while being joined by the experienced batter Ajinkya Rahane. With Alex Hales pulling out and Aaron Finch set to arrive late, Rahane will get a few chances as an opener for KKR.
Middle-order: Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana and Sam Billings – Iyer, who is coming into the IPL with a splendid form across all three formats will be hoping to make 2022 his season, while Rana will have to repay the faith shown by KKR management and owners. Billings like his former Delhi Capitals captain has joined the Knight Riders and will get a few chances at No. 5.
All-rounders: Andre Russell and Sunil Narine – The West Indies duo of Russell and Narine will handle both batting and bowling and once again KKR will hope for them to deliver the goods.
Bowlers: Varun Chakravarthy, Chamika Karunaratne, Umesh Yadav, Shivam Mavi – With no Cummins and Tim Southee, Sri Lanka all-rounder Karunaratne is likely to make his IPL debut while partnering Mavi and Umesh in the pace department. On the other hand, Chakravarthy will support Narine as the second spinner.
KKR’s predicted playing XI: Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Sam Billings (wk), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Chamika Karunaratne, Umesh Yadav, Shivam Mavi.
