Abu Dhabi: Kolkata Knight Riders will once again be relying heavily on their skipper Gautam Gambhir to lead from the front in the batting department.
Veteran all-rounder Jacques Kallis has been retained and can definitely provide stability, but he has also lacked consistency. The inclusion of Yusuf Pathan is also a gamble considering that he rarely fires.
However, the biggest pick and the trump card of KKR this season is Robin Uthappa. The Bangalorean has been in supreme form in the domestic season for Karnataka and looks a top signing.
He has not only played with maturity, but has learnt the key mantra of cricket – value your wicket. Having already made everyone sit back and take notice, Uthappa, on the comeback trail, won’t let this opportunity slip.
Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hassan and Ryan ten Doeschate also figure in the ranks, but how effective they will be, only time will prove.
In place of England star Eoin Morgan, who was quite effective last season, KKR have brought in Chris Lynn — a right-handed middle order batsman from Queensland. Lynn is known for his strong batting and made an impression during a Sheffield match for Queensland Bulls against Western Australia, when he hit an authoritative 139 out of his team’s total score of 285.
This year’s IPL will also be a big test for upcoming players like Kuldeep Yadav, Suryakumar Yadav and Debabrata Das.
Both Kuldeep and Suryakumar were part of the Mumbai Indians’ winning squad last season but ended up warming the bench. However, being in the same squad and sharing the same dressing room as Sachin Tendulkar would have done a world of good for their confidence and they will be raring to make a mark.
The spin department certainly looks balanced, with leg-spinner Piyush Chawla bowling in tandem with West Indian Sunil Narine, who was very effective in the recent World Twenty20 in Bangladesh. The wickets in the UAE have gone through a lot of wear and tear following a long season and the duo will be more than handy here.
South African speedster Morne Morkel ended up on the bench after his poor run with the ball in the World T20. However, his experience of having played in the UAE for the Proteas will be a great help for KKR.
Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Pat Cummins and Andre Russell add stability to the attack. Kumar was very effective with the ball for Karnataka, picking up 22 wickets in his last five innings, with a best figure of 6/47 against the Rest of India in the Irani Trophy.
