After their semi-successful venture at the VIVO IPL 2016, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be vying to become the first IPL team to win three titles. Can they do it this time? Well, only the time will reveal if they can fulfill that dream or not.

VIVO IPL 2017: SWOT Analysis of Kolkata Knight Riders

With just a few days remaining before the inauguration of the Vivo IPL 2017, let’s analyse their strengths and weaknesses of each Indian Premier League (IPL) team. Flamboyant Gautam Gambhir will once again lead the KKR team at this year’s IPL. The two-time IPL champion KKR have won the trophy in the year 2012 and 2014 respectively. Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan is the co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders franchisee along with other co-owners of Juhi Chawla and Mehta group.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Strengths at a Glance

After this year’s IPL auction, the team has got a well-balanced side with good batsmen and attacking bowlers as well. The biggest strength of the team is its consistency in the tournament. Aggressive Gambhir is the team’s biggest asset. He led KKR to title victory twice in 2012 and 2014.

Also Read: VIVO IPL 2017: SWOT Analysis of Royal Challengers Bangalore

His own form is also a bonus for the team. Gambhir has got 2847 runs in 105 matches, which is the highest for his side. Also, Yousuf Pathan’s hard hitting batting down the order is always beneficial for the team. Undoubtedly, Sunil Narine is the best bowler in this format. He helped his team win many matches in the past. Narine has picked 103 IPL wickets in just 75 matches that he played so far.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Weaknesses at a Glance

To begin with, KKR will definitely miss the service of its ace all-rounder Andre Russel. The tall West Indian cricket will completely miss the tournament because of the WICB judgment that banned him from playing cricket for one year. The non-presence of any specialist overseas batsman apart from Darren Bravo is also a big concern. They could have utilized the auctioned amount well and should have picked a few outstanding batsmen at the IPL auction 2017.

Also Read: IPL 2017: Complete fixtures, schedule and time in IST with venue details

Then there is again the non-availability of a specialist experienced middle-order batsman in the side. Obviously, the likes of Shakib Al Hasan, Yousuf Pathan and Robin Uthappa are there, but their consistency with the bat is always under a scanner at IPL tournament. KKR has to perform consistently well to win the IPL trophy or else it should stop dreaming of winning its third title this year.

IPL 2017: Full squad and players list of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

Trent Boult, Chris Woakes, Rishi Dhawan, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rovman Powell, R Sanjay Yadav, Ishank Jaggi, Darren Bravo, Sayan Ghosh, Gautam Gambhir, Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav, Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Robin Uthappa, Shakib Al Hasan, Chris Lynn, Umesh Yadav, Yusuf Pathan, Sheldon Jackson and Ankit Singh Rajput.

Squad strength: 23 (14 Indian, 9 Overseas)

Tags: Indian Premier League, IPL, IPL 10, IPL 2017, KKR, Kolkata Knight Riders, SWOT Analysis, VIVO IPL