IPL 2023: Predicted XI of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the season
KKR will have Nitish Rana as their captain in absence of Shreyas Iyer.
Kolkata Knight Riders are one of the most powerful teams in the history of the cash-rich IPL. Ever since the inaugural edition of the IPL, they have been performing pretty well as a team and reaped rewards for their tactical approach. With all weapons at their disposal and with all their bases covered, they should be looking to make a serious bid for the title in the upcoming campaign.
Kolkata Knight Riders are also the third-most successful team in the IPL as they have won two trophies, both of which came under the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir. They won their maiden IPL title by beating Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2012 final. KKR won their second IPL title by getting the better of Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in the IPL 2014 final.
They literally struggled to produce the much-needed spark and energy in IPL 2015, 2019 and 2020 seasons respectively, as they failed to qualify for the playoffs. However, they made it to the finals of the IPL 2021 season but lost to Chennai Super Kings in the final. KKR finished 7th in the IPL 2022 table and failed to qualify for the playoffs. Now, let’s take a look at the strong playing XI of KKR.
Openers: N. Jagadeesan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk)
The likes of N. Jagadeesan and Rahmanullah Gurbaz are likely to open the innings for Kolkata Knight Riders in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. In fact, the duo have all the qualities to succeed as an opening pair for the two-time IPL champions. N Jagadeesan has been really impressive in the domestic circuit for the Tamil Nadu cricket team.
As a result, the KKR decided to buy the dashing right-handed batter for INR 90 lakh at the IPL 2023 mini-auction held in Kochi. he will be looking forward to starting a new chapter at this franchise. He is yet to switch gears as he has scored only 73 runs in the seven games he played in the IPL. It will be quite interesting to see how he goes about his business in the next season.
On the other hand, Afghanistan’s international Rahmanullah Gurbaz will operate as a wicketkeeper-batsman for KKR in the next season. He will open the innings alongside N. Jagadeesan. KKR secured Rahmanullah Gurbaz via trade from the defending champions, Gujarat Titans ahead of the auction. The 21-year-old is yet to make his debut in the IPL.
