SWOT Analysis of KKR: Before the IPL Player Auction in 2019, Kolkata Knight Riders had left out a few of their regular players. They had released their star power-hitter, Chris Lynn. They left out the ever-reliable Indian batsman Robin Uthappa and their successful leg-spinner Piyush Chawla. All three players went to different teams as KKR focused on some star players.
Kolkata spent the most money on a player Pat Cummins for 15.5 CR. Along with Cummins, they got the two Englishmen, Eoin Morgan, and Tom Banton. With the arrival of Morgan, there were talks that there might be a change in captaincy but Brendon McCullum who is the head coach of the KKR team said that Dinesh Karthik will remain the captain for the upcoming season.
Kolkata had a disappointing season last year as they couldn’t make the playoffs. Apart from Andre Russell, no one really stepped up for the franchise which resulted in an exit after the league stage. This time they have made some great additions and can go all the way. Let’s have a look at the SWOT Analysis of the KKR squad for the upcoming season.
Strengths:
Their main strength will remain that they have the best hitter in the shortest format. No game is over until Andre Russell has been dismissed and last year, he showed us why. To give support to Russell, KKR has got a great middle-order batsman in Eoin Morgan. In the last 12 months, he has been in terrific form and he could be a match-winner for KKR. The Indian batsmen Dinesh Karthik, Nitish Rana, and Shubman Gill will be crucial for the KKR team.
Weaknesses:
Even though KKR bought the most expensive fast bowler in the auction, their bowling seems to be a bit thin. For a moment if you keep Cummins aside then you have the likes of Shivam Mavi, Prasidh Krishna, and Kamlesh Nagarkoti. Nagarkoti hasn’t played a single game in the IPL whereas Mavi was injured for the last season as well. Prasidh struggled to pick up wickets last year which was a big concern. KKR can’t afford to play Lockie Ferguson because their overseas slots will be locked in.
Even in the spin department, Kuldeep Yadav isn’t in the greatest of forms and there are question marks over Sunil Narine’s place in the side if he is not going to open the batting. KKR would need to overcome these weaknesses if they want to win this season.
Opportunities:
It would be a great opportunity for Shubman Gill if he is allowed to open the batting in all the 14 games. In the last season, in whatever games he opened he was terrific with the bat. He will enjoy up at the top with the ball coming on to the bat.
The England youngster Tom Banton might get an opportunity at the top of the order. This IPL might be the last opportunity for Dinesh Karthik to show that he still has it in him for the T20 World Cup in Australia.
Along with the batsmen, it would be a great learning experience for the likes of Mavi and Nagarkoti as they have the best Test bowler with them in the same team.
Threats:
The biggest threat for this team has always been injuries. What if Andre Russell gets injured? What if Pat Cummins is not fit to play all 14 games? These are the questions that will be troubling the KKR team management. Andre Russell is prone to injury so that might be a big issue for them. Pat Cummins will come off a long season and he might not be fully fresh. KKR doesn’t have the ideal replacements for them so they might struggle if their top players get injured.
