IPL 2022, Kolkata Knight Riders squad, fixtures & more: KKR eye consistency as Shreyas takes charge

Kolkata Knight Riders will sport a fresh look as Shreyas Iyer takes over as captain after the franchise bid Rs 12.25 crore for the middle order batter at the Indian Premier League mega auction. After mounting an impressive run to the final last year, from being in seventh position at the halfway stage, KKR will be aiming to add to their two IPL titles this time around.

With Iyer added to the squad, Pat Cummins bought back, and Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, Venkatesh Iyer and Sunil Narine retained before the auction, the Knight Riders have a formidable core group of players and will fancy their chances of reaching the playoffs in IPL 2022.

History at the tournament

Squad

Kolkata bagged Alex Hales late in the auction but the England batter pulled out citing bubble fatigue. Aaron Finch was then roped in as replacement but the Australian white-ball captain is set to miss the first couple of weeks of the IPL due to the series in Pakistan. Pat Cummins, too, is reportedly set to miss the first three games. Senior New Zealand pacer Tim Southee, meanwhile, might be unavailable for the playoffs, if KKR qualify, due to a Test series in England.

IPL Auction 2022, Kolkata Knight Riders review: Possible best XI, strengths and weaknesses

Full squad:

Shreyas Iyer (c), Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, Venkatesh Iyer, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Nitish Rana, Shivam Mavi, Sheldon Jackson, Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy, Rasikh Dar, Chamika Karunaratne, Baba Indrajith, Ashok Sharma, Pratham Singh, Abhijeet Tomar, Sam Billings, Aaron Finch, Ramesh Kumar, Mohammed Nabi, Aman Khan, Umesh Yadav.

Most Valuable Player

The KKR lineup has a number of match-winners, players with that X-factor who can turn games around single-handedly. Venkatesh Iyer at the top will be expected to deliver once again, Sunil Narine can always be counted on for all-round contributions, Andre Russell can be devastating if fit, and Varun Chakaravarthy’s mystery spin is a big asset. But it is Shreyas Iyer who could bring most value to this team. As captain, he played a key part in Delhi Capitals’ revival and will be expected to inspire his new team too. And as a middle order batter, he will need to do the bulk of the scoring and be the link that ties it all together. What’s most promising for KKR is that Iyer has been in fine form of late, scoring heavily for India across formats, and will be heading into IPL 2022 will great confidence.

Uncapped Indian to watch out for

Shivam Mavi isn’t really a fresh face but he is an uncapped player for now and could be asked to play a crucial role for Kolkata through the season. In terms of pace bowlers, KRR will rely on Mavi, Cummins and Umesh Yadav. If the 23-year-old right-arm quick can deliver with the new ball and at the death, KKR will be confident their spinners can put in the choke in the middle overs. Sheldon Jackson, meanwhile, has continued his superb form in domestic cricket this season and could make a significant impact as a batter if given opportunities.

Quotes corner

Shreyas Iyer to kkr.in: “Brendon McCullum as a coach I feel is very aggressive. Even when you saw him playing for his country (New Zealand), he was someone who was very aggressive and he is kind of a risk taker. And I absolutely love that... He’s got that calm demeanor and I’m really looking forward to working with him, and to have some very successful seasons for KKR over the years.”

Fixtures

Teams to play twice: MI, RR, DC, LSG, SRH
Teams to play once: CSK, RCB, PBKS, GT