KKR will strive for consistency in their bid to add the third title. Here’s a SWOT analysis of Eoin Morgan’s team that will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in their season-opener at Chennai on April 11
Eoin Morgan
Strengths
In Eoin Morgan, his first stint as full-time KKR captain, the Purple Brigade have got one of the most astute brains of the white-ball format. The English World Cup-winning skipper, who took over the role after seven games last season, was one of the brightspots for the team in 2020. The left-hander struck 418 runs in 14 innings at an average of 41.80 and also hit the most sixes (24), giving impetus in the death overs with his cameos. By bringing back Bangladesh star all-rounder Shakib-Al-Hasan and signing 2016 IPL final man-of-the-match Ben Cutting, they have got the much-needed back-ups for the Windies duo of Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, who failed to fire last season.
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Weakness
Once their strength, KKR of late have struggled in the spin department. Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav is a shadow of his past and retuned with just one wicket in five matches, of which he was not given the ball in one. One of the architects of their twin triumphs in 2012 and 2014 under Gautam Gambhir, Narine is also floundering. Narine’s action once again came to haunt him in 2020 as he was warned of suspect action and subsequently went on to miss four matches. Interestingly, another mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy took up the responsibility in Narine’s absence to finish with most wickets (17) for KKR. But Chakravarthy’s fitness has come under the scanner time and again.
Opportunities
Having decided to step away from the captaincy, Dinesh Karthik will look to make amends in IPL 2021. The seasoned duo of Shakib and Harbhajan Singh would look to make the most of the opportunities that come their way on slow tracks on offer in Delhi and Chennai. KKR have two interesting new signings in Venkatesh Iyer and Vaibhav Arora.
Threats
KKR would need good start from opener Shubman Gill in the powerplay overs. Gill consumed a lot of deliveries upfront, which created pressure on the middle-order. KKR would look to ensure that they get a winning combination, something that eluded them last time as they would be desperate to make the cut.
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