IPL 2021: SWOT Analysis of Kolkata Knight Riders

When the IPL journey started in 2008, I was not very sure if I would be lured into the T20 frenzy that much. But seeing that my hometown had its own team made me attracted to the tournament. I always loved watching matches in the stadium and IPL gave me that opportunity to see the matches from close quarters. With most of the matches starting late in the evening, I could go and watch the matches at the Eden Gardens without disturbing my work schedule. What also helped was the way KKR started the tournament in 2008 – the 158 runs blitzkrieg by Brendon McCullum. The sad part is though that KKR is yet to register another century thereafter. Though the team won IPL twice, it has always been about team play and less about individual flashes of brilliance especially when it came to batting.

KKR has been one team that always hogs the middle of the table. They have been finalists only twice and both the times they won the tournament. Over the last few years, the team has become way too dependent on a couple of players namely Sunil Naraine and Andre Russell. So when both of them started having average form, the team eventually struggled.

It was no different last year too with Andre Russell becoming extremely unfit. Most of the days the team was playing with 10 fit players on the field. To be fair even Sunil Naraine didn’t look 100% fit on the field. There were no like-for-like replacements last year and it hurt the team very much. So how is it looking this year? 

This is my best XI for the team:

Nitish Rana

Subhman Gill

Karun Nair

Eoin Morgan

Shakib Al Hasan

Dinesh Karthik

Andre Russell

Pat Cummins

Harbhajan Singh

Prasidh Krishna

Varun Chakravarthy 

SWOT Analysis of KKR:

Strength: Getting Shakib back in the squad is the best decision taken by KKR. It straight away improves the balance of the team. He has played for KKR when the team won the tournament twice and his all-round abilities will help the captain to rotate his bowlers properly. Too much pressure was on Andre Russell earlier and that dependency will reduce. Though they have inexperience at the top of the order, their longish batting lineup gives their top order to play to their potential. Another advantage this team possesses is like-for-like replacements across the board. The bench strength looks very good with both experienced and youngsters across all the three departments waiting for their turn.

Weakness: This is one team which always backs youngsters and this also means they have a lot of players with a lack of international experience. Their top order is pretty inexperienced and hence Morgan, Karthik, and Shakib have a lot on their plate. Kuldeep’s recent loss of form means Varun becomes their premier spinner who though talented doesn’t have international experience. Harbhajan Singh has not played any kind of cricket for close to two years and it could be a cause for concern too. If Andre Russell is not fit enough as per international standards then he can become a liability in the field but his six-hitting ability would hamper KKR’s chances in case they replace him with Ben Cutting. It would be interesting to see how they balance this factor in the tournament.

Opportunity: Big opportunity for Varun to show the Indian selectors that he belongs to this stage. India at the moment is struggling in the spinning department especially in white-ball cricket. Last year he made an impact in most of the matches and always bowled in tough situations and turned matches. He needs to do even better this year to get into the Indian team. Prasidh Krishna has been generally inconsistent while playing for KKR but he showed his potential when given the opportunity in the recent ODIs against England. He would love to put up a grand show this year to get into the T20 team of India. Nitish Rana is a very handy cricketer because he bowls too and India needs someone in the top 5 who can bowl a few overs. Last year it was hot and cold for Rana but if he needs to get into the Indian team then he has to perform consistently throughout the tournament.

Threats: There is not much threat this year for KKR because they have like-for-like replacements across the board but their main threat is the form and fitness of 4 players. They are, Shakib, Russell, Naraine, and Kuldeep. If these players end up playing true to their potential then it could turn out to be a very good tournament for KKR.

I am hopeful of a top 4 finish for this team in 2021. What do you think? Is this team capable of breaking the jinx of being elbowed out from the Top 4 consistently? Who would be their trump card?

Do write in with your comments. I will come back tomorrow with the SWOT analysis of Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Happy Holi everyone. Stay safe and God Bless!

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