IPL 2021: SWOT Analysis – Kolkata Knight Riders seek their third IPL triumph
Eoin Morgan will be returning as the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders side for the 14th season of the IPL. But at least this time, he will be starting the tournament as the captain of the Kolkata outfit, unlike the 2020 edition. After finishing third in the 2018 season, the Kolkata side has failed to qualify for the playoffs for two consecutive seasons. They finished fifth in both 2019 as well as the 2020 edition. However, with the IPL returning to Indian conditions, they would be slightly more hopeful. Here is the SWOT Analysis of Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the 2021 IPL:
Strengths
Unlike a lot of the teams in the IPL, Kolkata’s strength lies in their middle-order which has been packed with players who are proven champions in the T20 format. The team has Morgan, Dinesh Karthik and Andre Russell, each of whom can alter their batting positions if and when the team requires. With that, they also have the ability to strike from the first ball, giving no opportunity to the opposition bowlers to settle down.
Andre ?
DK ?Watch the Knights get competitive in a practice game LIVE from DY Patil Stadium now ??@Russell12A @DineshKarthik #KKRHaiTaiyaar #IPL2021
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) April 3, 2021
Apart from these stalwarts, they have the likes of Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana who can boost the KKR top-order. Rana might miss a few matches at the start after testing positive for COVID-19 recently. The addition of Shakib Al Hasan has also added another fantastic option to their already strong spin attack which consists of Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav and Sunil Narine. Shakib’s batting could also prove to be a fantastic option with respect to their balance. To top it off, they have Pat Cummins and Lockie Ferguson, who are world-class pacers.
Weakness
If we see the first-choice XI of the KKR team, you might see there are a couple of spots that will create some headache for Morgan, when it comes to team selection. Gill’s opening partner at the top will be a big question and a lot will depend on how they start the innings in the powerplay. When it comes to their death bowling, there is an issue with inexperience. Ferguson and Cummins together can prove to be lethal, but they cannot be played together. The inexperience of the Indian bowlers is something that the team management might have to ponder upon.
Opportunities
Prasidh Krishna and Varun Chakravarthy could just have a coming-of-age season this year. Chakravarthy will be itching to prove his fitness levels and capability to perform regularly after showing his skills with the ball last season. The spinner failed to make it to the Indian T20 team twice even after being named in the squad, once because of injury and once for failing the yo-yo Test. With the national team spinners not in good form, this season presents a good chance for him to make a case for himself. Krishna, on the other hand, was impressive in his debut ODI series and will once again hope to impress the selectors ahead of the T20 World Cup that will be held in India later this year.
Mystery admiring Mystery ?@SunilPNarine74 @chakaravarthy29 #KKRHaiTaiyaar #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/0AAflhdlrT
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) April 4, 2021
Threats
KKR will be worried about the form of some of its players. Shakib, Russell and Morgan, are the most important forces in this side, and they are all coming back from injuries. Russell, especially, did not have a great season in 2020 as well and that puts him under a bit of pressure. Karthik too didn’t score a lot of runs in the UAE edition. Narine is another candidate who has not played a lot of cricket lately. KKR will have to put all these issues to bed in order to turn around their fortunes in the 2021 season.
