KKR banking on Pandit coaching acumen to reclaim IPL title

Kolkata, March 30 (PTI) Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders would bank on Chandrakant Pandit’s tactical acumen as they fight injury and a thin on quality batting line-up in their bid to reclaim the coveted IPL title after nine years.

In the IPL mini-auction in December last year, KKR bought eight players with Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan being their biggest buy at Rs 1.5 crore.

Besides, KKR also purchased Namibia all-rounder David Wiese for Rs 1 crore and in-form Tamil Nadu keeper-batter N Jagadeesan for Rs 90 lakh. Maverick Bangladesh star Litton Das is also in KKR roster.

Vaibhav Arora (Rs 60 lakh), Suyash Sharma (Rs 20 lakh), Kulwant Khejroliya (Rs 20 lakh), and Mandeep Singh (Rs 50 lakh) were KKR’s other buys.

Here’s is a SWOT analysis of KKR ahead of their opening match against Punjab Kings in Mohali on April 1.

Strengths:

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KKR’s biggest strength lies in the quality of all-rounders they have in their side. Over the years, the Kolkata outfit has been focussing on strengthening its all-round department and this time it is no different.

The West Indian pair of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine has delivered in the past but at times inconsistency has been their bane. And in Shakib, Weise and Venkatesh Iyer they do have quality with potential of translating that into performance.

But the main focus would be on Pandit, who replaced Brendon McCullum as KKR coach.

It will be Pandit’s maiden stint in IPL after having tasted success in the domestic arena with six-Ranji-winning sides with three different state units, including Mumbai, Vidarbha cricket and Madhya Pradesh.

The upcoming IPL will be a big test for Pandit’s coaching acumen with a side that is gunning for glory following its last title in 2014.

Weakness:
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In the absence of Shreyas Iyer, who is likely to miss the entire IPL this year due to a back injury, KKR’s top-order remains a cause of concern.

KKR failed to get their opening combination right last year, the main reason behind their struggle.

And it remains to be seen how Pandit looks to address the area.

KKR might just be prompted to go in with right-left combination of Litton and Narine at the top with skipper Nitish Rana, Jagadeesan, Shakib and Russell holding the fort in the middle.