In our last piece, we did a little SWOT analysis of Rajasthan Royals.
We saw how aggressive bidding by the franchise made sure that they have some of the top T20 players in their side. The two-time IPL champion KKR with the mix-up of young and experienced players looks like a settled side.
IPL 2018: SWOT Analysis of the Kolkata Knight Riders
In this piece, we will talk about two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders.
Kolkata Knight Riders Squad:
Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Chris Lynn, Mitchell Starc, Dinesh Karthik, Robin Uthappa, Kuldeep Singh Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Nitish Rana, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Mitchell Johnson, Shubman Gill, Ranganath Vinay Kumar, Rinku Singh, Cameron Delport, Javon Searless, Apoorv Vijay Wankhade, Ishank Jaggi
Strengths:
In the retention, KKR used their money in retaining two of the overseas players in the form of Sunil Narine and Andre Russell. They bought Mitchell Starc in the auction to strengthen their bowling attack. Indian pace battery duo of Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi are doing wonders for the side in on-going U19 World Cup. KKR managed to grab the duo in the auction. If we add the name of former Aussie Mitchell Johnson in the lineup, the bowling attack looks even more lethal.
Aggressive batsmen in the form of Chris Lynn and Robin Uthappa along with Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana can be added advantage for the KKR side.
Weaknesses:
The owners of the Franchise probably missed out on a fact that every side needs a great leader to carry forward the side. For past few years, Gautam Gambhir led them brilliantly and won them a couple of titles as well. This time around though, they lack a genuine leader who can lead the side in tough situations which can hurt them at some crucial and crunch situations.
Opportunities:
The youngsters in the side have the opportunity to learn from the seniors and help the side win the title. Likes of Nagarkoti and Mavi will have the opportunity to learn a trick or two from bowlers like Starc and Johnson.
Threats:
Devastating opener Chris Lynn and lethal bowler Mitchell Starc are their two of the best players in their squad. But their reputation of frequently getting injured can hamper the chances of the side. The side will heavily rely on all-around skills of Andre Russell who is coming out of 1 year of the doping ban. So their star players are injury-prone and if even one of them gets injured, the roads will be tough for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Tags: Chennai Super Kings, CSK, DD, Delhi Daredevils, Indian Premier League, IPL 2018, Kings XI Punjab, KKR, Kolkata Knight Riders, KXIP, MI, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, RCB, Royal Challengers Bangalore, RR, SRH, Sunrisers Hyderabad, SWOT Analysis
