IPL 2023: Kolkata Knight Riders Preview

Mar 27, 2023

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Two-time IPL winners Kolkata Knight Riders, endured a topsy-turvy ride in the last edition of the tournament and eventually finished seventh despite recovering from five consecutive losses midway in their season. 

Following the departure of head coach Brendon McCullum, the Kolkata-based franchise roped in the cult figure of Chandrakant Pandit.

Pandit guided Vidarbha to two consecutive Ranji Trophy titles and also helped Madhya Pradesh to their maiden triumph in 2022, is considered a hard taskmaster. His arrival was followed by the IPL 2023 auction, where the two-time champions had to be content with low-key signings given their limited spending prowess.

Heading into the IPL 2023 auction, KKR released Aman Khan, Shivam Mavi, Mohammad Nabi, Chamika Karunaratne, Aaron Finch, Alex Hales, Abhijeet Tomar, Ajinkya Rahane, Ashok Sharma, Baba Indrajith, Pratham Singh, Ramesh Kumar, Rasikh Salam, Sheldon Jackson, Pat Cummins and Sam Billings.

They traded in Kiwi speedster and one of their former players Lockie Ferguson from defending champions Gujarat Titans and also traded in Afghanistan’s explosive batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz ahead of the auction. Meanwhile, David Wiese, Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das were the only big names that were signed by KKR at the auction ahead of the 16th edition of the tournament. 

While the team does feel a bit light in the bowling department, they have been struck by a catastrophe after batting ace and skipper Shreyas Iyer is under an injury cloud. The KKR skipper is a major doubt for the initial stages of the tournament and could miss IPL 2023 entirely.

Veteran Windies cricketer Sunil Narine might lead the Men in Purple in Iyer’s absence as KKR are also sweating on the fitness of Kiwi speedster Lockie Ferguson, who is also doubtful for the initial league fixtures due to a hamstring issue. It will be interesting to see how the two-time champions cope with the absence of their key players in the upcoming edition of the tournament.

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