KKR | IPL 2015 | Kolkata Knight Riders Team Preview

KKR the defending champions of the Indian Premier League season 7. They lifted their second title after a clinical win over Kings XI Punjab. The side has been led by one of the finest Indian batsmen Gautam Gambhir. Their coach is Australian veteran Trevor Bayliss with Brett Lee as a bowling mentor.

Kolkata Knight Riders shocked everyone during the IPL auctions this year. They spend Rs.2.40 crore for an unknown Karnataka legspinner KC Cariappa. 5 feet 11 inches, Cariappa is tall for a spinner. He bowls with an orthodox round-arm action. The leg-break is his stock ball. He has variations like the googly and the faster one. His other strength is his ability to bowl off-spinners without changing the grip. This could make it difficult for batsmen to read him.

KKR have one of the most balanced teams in the tournament. They will be looking to win their third IPL title in four years. Kolkata has two of the most consistent players in the batting and bowling Lineup. KKR opener Robin Uthappa was the team’s highest run-scorer last season. He scored 660 runs in 16 matches last year. Mystery spinner Sunil Narine bagged 21 wickets last season.

KKR has an incredible batting lineup. Skipper Gautam Gambhir and explosive Robin Uthappa open the batting for them. They followed by the aggressive yet reliable Manish Pandey to boost the top-order for KKR. Their middle-order is power packed by Yusuf Pathan and Chris Lynn. They followed by all-rounders Shakib Al Hasan, Ryan ten Doeschate and Andre Russell.

KKR pose a serious threat to their oppositions, with the variety in their bowling attack. Morne Morkel, Umesh Yadav, Pat Cummins and Jimmy Neesham form a dangerous seam-bowling attack. Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine and Piyush Chawla make a great spin-trio.

Players Retained (2015):

Gautam Gambhir, Andre Russell, Chris Lynn, Kuldeep Yadav, Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Morne Morkel, Patrick Cummins, Piyush Chawla, Robin Uthappa, Ryan ten Doeschate, Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Veer Pratap Singh, Yusuf Pathan.

Players Bought (2015):

KC Cariappa(Rs.2.40 cr), Jimmy Neesham(Rs.50 lakh), Brad Hogg(Rs.50 lakh), Aditya Garhwal(Rs.25 lakh), Sheldon Jackson(Rs.15 lakh), Sumit Narwal(Rs.10 lakh) and Vaibhav Rawal(Rs.10 lakh).

Players Released (2015):

Debabrata Das, Sayan Sekhar Mandal, Jacques Kallis.

KKR Squad:

Gautam Gambhir(c), Andre Russell, Chris Lynn, Kuldeep Yadav, Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Morne Morkel, Patrick Cummins, Piyush Chawla, Robin Uthappa(wk), Ryan ten Doeschate, Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Veer Pratap Singh, Yusuf Pathan, James Neesham, Brad Hogg, Aditya Garhwal, Sumit Narwal, KC Cariappa, Vaibhav Rawal, Sheldon Jackson.

KKR Probable Playing XI:

Gautam Gambhir(c), Robin Uthappa(wk), Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Suryakumar Yadav, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Morne Morkel, Umesh Yadav, Sunil Narine.