With Shakib al Hassan opting out of IPL 2023, things look quite concerning for KKR

It started with Australian pacer Pat Cummins opting out of IPL 2023. Then, a few weeks before the tournament, skipper Shreyas Iyer was ruled out of IPL 2023 because of a back injury.

And now, it's allrounder Shakib al Hassan who has opted out of IPL this time around, in yet another blow to KKR. And soon, we might also hear Bangladeshi batter Litton Das opting out of IPL 2023 because of national commitments. 

IPL 2023 didn’t start on a great note for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The team lost the match by 7 runs via the DL method as the match was hit by rain in the last few overs. And the next few matches might also be tough for the team given that it has lost key players like Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer and Shakib al Hassan even before the tournament fully started.

What’s the worry for KKR?

The biggest disadvantage for KKR at the moment is the lack of talent in the batting line-up. 

With no Shubman Gill and Rahul Tripathi on the team (who were part of KKR till 2021), KKR has struggled to find powerful batters to strengthen its middle order batting set-up.

• In the top order are Anukul Roy and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the players who have little experience of playing in the IPL. Anukul Roy has played only four IPL matches in the last four years, and he doesn’t have enough experience to give a powerful start to the team.
• Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the Afghanistani batter has played only 1 match till now, and that too for KKR.

• There's Mandeep Singh next, the right-handed batter from Punjab’s Jalandhar. The 32-year-old has been playing IPL since 2010, but his strike-rate in the last few years has been below 120, which is not too good for a T20 batter; especially the opening batter.
• Aligarh boy Rinku Singh, the surprising element of KKR last season, is up next. Singh had been warming the benches for KKR since 2019 and only got to play a handful of matches last year, where he could show his talent. The right-handed batter is good with the bat but he too, like other domestic talents in the KKR set-up, lacks the experience to use it against stronger opponents in the tournament like Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings or Royal Challengers Bangalore.

On paper, it seems like KKR has a lot of domestic talents who don't have enough experience to compete with bigger teams in the tournament. 

Who are the key players of KKR? 

Even if I check the full squad of KKR, there are only four players who seem like they can play a crucial role in KKR’s games this time around. These are the ones who can turn things around for KKR. They are: Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, skipper Nitish Rana, and Venkatesh Iyer.

• Russell is the ferocious hitter who can single-handedly win the game for KKR, provided he gets ample time to settle in. But then, there is also the fact that KKR have never won an IPL since 2015, since Andre Russell joined the side.

The fact is that hitters will win you matches but they can’t win tournaments.

• Same goes for Sunil Narine, the mystery spinner of KKR. Narine, too, can win matches for KKR but not all of them. 
• Backing them up is Nitish Rana, the new skipper, who played well for KKR last season scoring 361 in 14 matches, at an average of 24.
• And then there is Venkatesh Iyer, the all-rounder who has seen his career grow with KKR. From being picked at a base price of Rs 20 lakh to getting Rs 8 crore in 2022, KKR management has placed huge faith in KKR. And Iyer played considerably well in the last match against Punjab, where he hit 34 off 28 balls. 
• The newly traded Shardul Thakur from Delhi Daredevils can also be a crucial player for KKR, provided he gets enough games with the team.

What’s next?

With the new coach Chandrakant Pandit at the helm, the KKR team will have to tick a lot of boxes before they lose the race on the points table. 

Last year too, things started well for KKR but towards the middle, the team started losing the matches and ended up at number sixth on the points table.

• There's a new addition to the team, Jason Roy; and KKR will have a hard time including him, as the places of Narine and Russell are fixed.
• Tim Southee is another bowler who needs to be there.
• Roy will have to be replaced with Rahmanullah Gurbaz as an opener batsman. And whether or not he will be able to do justice to that position, only time will tell.

KKR will next play Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Eden Gardens at 7.30 pm on April 6, 2023.