IPL 2022: Best Bowling Attack for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for Upcoming season of IPL
IPL 2022: People who have watched the auction closely would have noticed that teams have tried to retain their winning core in the auction. Chennai Super Kings picked 4 players from their title-winning campaign in 2021. Kolkata Knight Riders too, have kept the core from their run to the finals last season.
However, in doing so KKR may have established a below-par squad. Well! on paper does the squad doesn’t provide much promise. Here’s the caveat though, the auction can’t tell you how good or bad a team is until they have entered the field.
KKR started the auction with a bang. They splashed Rs 12.5 crore to buy Shreyas Iyer, who became the third most expensive pick in the auction. Their other notable picks were Nitish Rana (Rs 8 crore), Pat Cummins ( Rs 7.5 crore), and Shivam Mavi ( Rs 7.5 crore). These picks took a large chunk of KKR’s purse. By that time they had only 8 players with 17 crores left. However, in the accelerated phase of the auction on day 2, KKR did some buys to fill the hole.
However, the problems that plagued them in the previous cycle may resurface in the upcoming season. KKR lacks a bit of pedigree in the pace attack who can strike in the powerplay and stem the flow of runs, except Cummins. In this article let us look at the best bowling that KKR can field in the upcoming season.
IPL 2022: Best bowling combination for KKR for upcoming IPL season
1) Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins will lead KKR’s bowling attack in the upcoming season of IPL. He has loads of experience under his belt and will come in handy for his fellow mates. He made his IPL debut for KKR against Chennai Super Kings in 2014 and was very impressive in his debut season.
However, post that he hasn’t played regularly for the franchise. Cummins has 38 wickets in 37 IPL games. He is currently one of the best fast bowlers in international cricket, as well as a consistent batter in the lower middle order. In the IPL, he has two fifties.
Adding to that, he is the Test captain of Australia and can be part of KKR’s leadership group alongside Shreyas Iyer. It remains to be seen whether Cummins steps up and fills the void left by Lockie Ferguson.
2) Shivam Mavi
Shivam Mavi was drafted by KKR in 2018 when he was playing U19 World Cup. He impressed all and dominated the tournament with his raw pace. He has since spent four seasons with KKR but mostly on the sidelines.
Mavi suffered an ACL injury and was out of action for the entire 2019 season. Since then he has been in and out of the side. Mavi has picked 25 wickets in 26 IPL games. His career is still in its early stages, and he has a lot more to accomplish in the coming years. He has a good run-up and a clean and smooth traditional bowling action, with the ability to consistently bowl at 140 kph.
3) Andre Russell
The only issue with Andre Russell is will he remain fit for the entire tournament? If not KKR have glaring issues that can’t be filled. He joined the Knight Riders in 2014 after spending two seasons with the Delhi Capitals. Since then, he has been the franchise’s most important player.
He has made a significant contribution to the franchise. He has single-handedly won many games for the franchise, both with the bat and the ball. Russell has 72 wickets to his name in 84 IPL games.
Russell has a strike rate of 200+ in the death overs and the second-best boundary (32.1%) among all batsmen who played at least 25 matches.
4) Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine is the most successful spinner in IPL’s history. He has picked up 143 wickets in 134 games, all for KKR. He joined the KKR squad in 2012 and since then has played an important role in two title-winning campaigns (2012, 2014).
The man from Trinidad has played in many T20 leagues around the world and has played in over 300 T20 games. Narine bowls with an exceptional economy rate of 6.74. He will be one of the trump cards for KKR in IPL 2022.
5) Varun Chakravarthy
Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy is another player who is injury-prone. Chakravarthy, the architect-turned-cricketer, was unplayable in the previous two IPL seasons.
In the 2018 season, he made his debut for Tamil Nadu. Following a strong showing in domestic tournaments, he was selected by Punjab Kings for the 2019 IPL season. However, the million-dollar boy was ineffective.
He was then purchased by KKR in the 2020 auction and has dividends to KKR’s faith in him. He has played 31 games and picked 36 wickets at an impressive average of 23. Ahead of the 2022 auction, he was retained by KKR for his consistent performance across two seasons.
