Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) the two-time IPL champions added 10 players to their roster in the IPL 2024 auction. The addition of these players has certainly strengthened their side overall. They head into IPL 2024 with a much stronger bowling attack with the addition of Mitchell Starc and Gus Atkinson.
KKR needed some raw pace and the two overseas quicks can certainly add that in plenty. Manish Pandey who was a part of the IPL 2014 title-winning squad is back in the squad once again. He might not have played a lot of international cricket but KKR has backed his domestic and IPL experience to deliver for them in the middle-order.
They also have picked up good backs ups for certain players. KS Bharat the Indian wicketkeeper is a straight backup for Rahmanullah Gurbaz while the West Indian big-hitter Sherfane Rutherford is Andre Russell’s backup.
The addition of these new players will make the KKR playing XI look a bit different than what it was last year. Shreyas Iyer will return to lead the side and Nitish Rana will be his deputy. His return was earlier confirmed by the KKR management.
In this article, we take a look at KKR’s best possible playing XI for IPL 2024 where they will be gunning for their third IPL title with Gautam Gambhir back as the mentor of the side. Notably, KKR finished seventh on the points table last season.
KKR Playing 11 For IPL 2024
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK)
Gurbaz will open the batting for KKR. He was their first-choice keeper and opener for the franchise. He scored 227 runs in his debut season with KKR and will be expected to score a lot more this season. The management will also expect him to be consistent this season.
Venkatesh Iyer
Iyer will open the batting. He also scored nearly 400 runs last season including a century against Mumbai Indians. He has played his best for KKR as an opener and once again will open the batting. Whether KKR uses his bowling potential will be an interesting observation.
Shreyas Iyer (C)
Shreyas Iyer will be back to lead the franchise after missing out on IPL 2023 due to a shoulder injury. He will pair up with Gambhir as the duo will chalk out plans for a title-winning season. Iyer is fresh off a good World Cup campaign scoring over 500 runs. He will look to have a good season with the bat. How he leads the side will be an interesting observation.
Nitish Rana
Rana will be Shreyas Iyer’s deputy this season and will bat at four. He scored 413 runs from 14 games after having a slow start to the season. He led the team better in the second half than in the first half. Iyer’s return will allow him to free up and possibly play more attackingly.
Rinku will slot in at five. He was KKR’s top scorer with 474 runs last season. His good run in the IPL helped him make his T20I and ODI debut later in the year. He must back up his previous season with another good one. There will be a lot of expectations from him this season.
Andre Russell
Russell will bat at six. He plays attacking cricket right from the start. He was not in the best of his touch last season. He is an experienced player and will be expected to play with a lot more responsibility. Russell needs to have a good season with bat and ball to help KKR win the title.
Sunil Narine
Narine will slot in at seven and will be one of the specialist spinners in the side. He picked up 16 wickets in IPL 2021 and then his graph in the next two seasons went downwards. He has just picked 20 wickets in the last two seasons.
Mitchell Starc
KKR’s newest acquisition Mitchell Starc can bat at eight. He can hit big shots however he will be more needed with the ball. KKR needed an out-and-out pacer after releasing their pace battery and Starc was their answer. He needs to have a good season after the huge paycheck paid to him.
Harshit Rana
The Delhi pacer was retained by the KKR management. He will be one of the two Indian pacers in the lineup. He picked up five wickets last season but it was his pace that impressed one and all. He needs to have a defining season this time.
Chetan Sakariya
The left-arm pacer can be the second Indian seamer in the XI. KKR roped him in for his base price of 50 lakhs. There were some question marks on his bowling action heading into the IPL auction. Sakariya has played in 19 IPL games and has also featured in one ODI and two T20Is for India. BCCI stated that the 25-year-old pacer has been reported but is not banned from bowling
Varun Chakravarthy
Varun is likely to conclude the KKR’s strongest playing XI for IPL 2024. He was KKR’s most successful bowler picking up 20 wickets from 14 games last season. He will have a massive role to play this season as well.
Impact Sub – Suyash Sharma
The leggie was used as the impact sub by KKR almost throughout last season. He is expected to be used as an impact sub this year as well. He picked up 10 wickets from 11 games last season.
Also Read: KKR Full Squad, Team List, Players List After IPL 2024 Auction
