2-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had a mediocre IPL 2022 season. Under the captaincy of new skipper Shreyas Iyer, KKR finished 7th in the points table and failed to qualify for the playoffs. They have the smallest purse ahead of the IPL 2023 auction and just have Rs. 7.05 crores left in their kitty.
Even though the KKR team boasts of some quality players, the team balance was an issue in IPL 2022. The openers failed to provide solid starts and KKR tried several opening combinations. Eventually they let go of Ajinkya Rahane, Alex Hales and Aaron Finch. However, they have got hold off the services of hard-hitting wicket-keeper batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz and that is a solid addition to the ranks of KKR.
In this article, we take a look at 3 reasons why KKR might win the next edition of IPL:
1. Presence of Head Coach Chandrakant Pandit
Those who follow Indian domestic cricket closely know the name Chandrakant Pandit quite well. The veteran coach led Vidarbha to two successive Ranji Trophy victories in 2018 and 2019. Most recently in 2022, he coached Madhya Pradesh to the Ranji Trophy cup. He is an extremely astute coach and he will connect extremely well with the young Indian talents in the KKR squad. Shreyas Iyer and Pandit have worked together for the Mumbai cricket team before and they strike a good chord.
2. Bowling department has been bolstered
The addition of Shardul Thakur and Lockie Ferguson has added a few new dimensions to the bowling attack of Kolkata Knight Riders. While Shardul has a knack of picking wickets at regular intervals, Ferguson’s raw pace is quite suitable for the pitch of Eden Gardens, Kolkata. While Thakur has been traded in from Delhi Capitals (DC), Lockie Ferguson returns to KKR after being traded in from Gujarat Titans (GT). Lockie Ferguson played an instrumental role in Gujarat lifting the IPL 2022 trophy. He bagged 12 wickets in 13 games.
3. Shreyas Iyer’s red-hot form
The skipper of KKR, Shreyas Iyer is arguably the best batter in the Kolkata team. With 401 runs in IPL 2022, he finished as the leading run-getter of KKR in the tournament. He is India’s all-format highest run-getter in 2022 and has been in ravishing form in this year. In the 1st innings of the 1st Test match between India and Bangladesh, Iyer scored 82 runs off 169 deliveries. The KKR skipper also smashed a brilliant century against South Africa in October 2022 in the ODI series. His form is very critical and if he gets going, then KKR would be favourites to win IPL 2023.
Also read: IPL 2023: 3 Bengal Players KKR Should Target In The Upcoming IPL Auction
