The journey of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during the last 12 editions of IPL has been nothing less than a roller coaster ride. When they had the most formidable team on paper with the likes of Brendon McCullum and Chris Gayle, they could never climb above the 6th position on the table. In 2011, the team went for a major overhaul, and Gautam Gambhir took over the reins, winning two ILP titles in three years.
In 2018, the team saw an influx of young talents being led by wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik. We are into the 13th season of IPL, and KKR looks one of the strongest sides on paper. In this article, we take a close look at five KKR players to watch out for in ILP 2020.
Pat Cummins
It is a homecoming for Cummins, and he would play a vital role in the bowling attack for KKR. Pat Cummins played his last ILP in 2017 for Delhi Capital, picking 17 wickets in 16 matches at a strike rate of 21. Dinesh Karthik can throw him the new ball, bowl him during the middle overs, or ask him to tear apart the opposition with his death bowling. This Australian speedster has a tag of 15.5cr against his name, and the entire world is eager to see him perform in ILP 2020.
Andre Russell
Destruction, devastation, and demolition are what he does to the bowlers at the other end. This man is the biggest entertainer for KKR in recent years. He has played 64 IPL matches, scored 1400 runs, with a strike rate of 186 – the best in the entire league. With the ball, he has taken 55 wickets at an economy of 8.50. His knock of 88 out of 36 balls against CSK would be etched in our memories for a long time. Andre is as popular in the real cricket betting world as he’s in the virtual sports betting markets, and often offers punters handsome returns on their investments.
Eoin Morgan
The world cup winning English captain joins KKR for ILP 2020. Eoin Morgan was part of KKR during 2011 – 2015, and he comes back with a ton of T20 experience. His presence can prove to be a great boost for the team as well as captain Dinesh Karthik. He has played a total of 52 matches and scored 854 runs, at an average of 21.35 in IPL.
Shubman Gill
KKR picked up this Indian prodigy in 2018 after he won the player of the tournament award at the U19 World Cup. He played 13 matches, scoring 203 runs. In 2019, he played 14 matches, scoring 296 runs at an average of 32.87. His consistent performance in the domestic cricket gave him a place in the national team in New Zealand. He failed to reproduce his performance at the international level and thus would eye a comeback by making the most of ILP 2020.
Tom Banton
This wicket-keeper batsman is a jackpot hit for KKR. The franchise purchased the English hard-hitter for his base price. He is being seen as a replacement for Chris Lynn this season. Tom has played 3 T20s for England, scoring 56 runs with a strike rate of over 164 and can prove to be the X factor for KKR in ILP 2020.
