Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are the most limelight team in Indian Premier League (IPL) due to various reasons. They started their IPL 2019 journey with high flying moments but lost their sights suddenly. With an elite coaching panel and a mixture of young and experienced players, it was expected from Kolkata fans that they could do much better in the current authority. Although their commencement was noteworthy they lost their focus and sitting 6th in IPL 2019’s current standings.

Kolkata Knight Riders’ Sudden Fall From The Road

Kolkata Knight Riders are two-time IPL champions. They got the IPL title twice in 2012 and 2014 respectively. After winning the much-desired title for two times Kolkata has an eye to win it again at the current season. They also put their best efforts to be crowned as a champion for once more. They started to get their coveted results. With their magnetic coach Jacques Kallis and his right-hand man Simon Katich, fans were expecting that the illustrious trophy will return at Eden Gardens, Kolkata again. Now, sadly, their dream is getting vacuous at recent times. They’ve already played 9 matches and managed to win at four times while losing the other five games.

Now, they’re like a wounded lion and without high optimism and progressing at performances, their chances will get demise to go far. To fill the big shoes of Gautam Gambhir, Dinesh Kartik took the Captain’s armband. It’s very easy to assess that the vacant boat of two times winning skipper and all-time leading scorer of Kolkata is not an easy task to complete.

Dinesh Kartik didn’t disappoint at all as he accumulated bemusing 498 runs for Kolkata in last season, which made him the highest scorer for KKR in 2018. Contrariwise, he also expressed his high hopes about the team before the start of the current campaign which gave hopes to KKR fans.

We definitely know what we are lacking. We have enough resource now to erase the last year’s mistake.

He quoted at IPL promotional campaign. Although, the team’s recent performances are not giving credits to his words at all and KKR is in danger of elimination unless they improve notably.

Kolkata Knight Riders already boast the most impressive young talents at their disposal. They already have the likes of Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Andre Russell in their squad while talented youngsters like Kuldeep, Ferguson, Matt Kelly, etc. are also expected to do something big. Among the overseas purchase – this is Lynn who is a very explosive player with powerful strokes.

Andre Russell and Sunil Narine are other big names for KKR. It is safe to say, Kolkata Knight Riders are now heavily reliant upon Andre Russell is this campaign and much of Kolkata’s chance to play at playoff is heavily on him. After losing four games consecutively, their back now touches into the wall – it’s the best time for them to rise from the darkness. The competition to play in the playoff is already hitting up and things will definitely not very cozy for Kolkata. The city-based team has to face tremendous competition to survive. The biggest problem Kolkata facing is their pace department.

Although they’ve brought youngster like Ferguson their problem is still far from over and this department looks very shaky. As batsman like Andre Russell, Sunil Narine in top form but vice-captain like Uthappa is still far from his best. Wounded Kolkata now has to face another mid-table team Sunrisers Hyderabad in their next match.

Hyderabad isn’t an easy opponent as they’re also looking for their survival. Their two hard-hitting openers David Warner and Jonny Bairstow will be the main obstacle for Kolkata as both are in scintillating form. Kolkata’s main woes are their middle order’s lack of form. It is expected they will try their best to sort out this problem. As Kolkata’s bit of shambolic run continues, it is learned that their 33-year-old bowler Joe Denly will leave for England and very soon he’s going to start his journey for his domestic club Kent. On the other hand, Hyderabad played one less game than Kolkata.

Kolkata is a very well balanced team despite their recent woes. In the last season, they’ve played amazingly and occupied third place in IPL 2018. Captain Dinesh Kartik was the leading man who gave his best and every player contributed their perfection with the good approach from their head coach Jacques Kallis. Let’s assess a few strong and weak points of KKR.

Strength

It’s easy to see Kolkata’s main strength lies in their spin department. Their spellbinding spinner Kuldeep Yadav is the main strength who already shows his worth against many top class international sides. His full force is yet to crack and he proves KKR can rely on him at any times.

The opening department is another huge plus point for them. The super duo Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn is just magnificent and both have the capability to change the rhythm of the game at any time. Apart from their goodness at opening both of them are also good all-rounder too.

Weakness

The most noticeable weakness for KKR is their pace department. There’s not a single high caliber pacer in their squad and it is the main reason they’re not flourishing as expected. The middle order of them is also not working in the past few games. Their team is heavily reliant on outside core – Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell. Sadly, they’re very injury prone and if one of them pick injury, their chance to survive will hit badly. Moreover, they can get call up from their respective national team as world cup is looming large on the horizon.

 

Although Kolkata Knight Riders are passing some crucial moments, they can pass the storm. They are a team who spent very smartly and still managed to cover their areas with good players. If their players click at right time, they will go far and it’s still not impossible for them to win their third title. With the great leadership of Dinesh Kartik, anything can still very much possible for them.  

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