Following a title-winning season in 2024 and the mega auction, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) look to repeat the glory. We take a look at three factors that could be key for them in IPL 2025.
Kolkata Knight Riders lifted their third title in the Indian Premier League by beating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2024 final. Having found a formidable champion team in the previous cycle, the mega auction came at a wrong time for KKR and they have had to rebuild the squad.
The Knight Riders had to wait for a decade to clinch another IPL trophy, having previously won in 2012 and 2014. They did it in a spectacular fashion, with a squad that had no weak spots on paper.
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In IPL 2024, KKR moved Sunil Narine back to the top order and it worked wonders. They also had contributions from almost every player that got a decent run in the playing XI. In the final, they bowled out SRH, who were on a rampage with the bat throughout the season, for just 113.
KKR possessed a pretty complete side with left-arm pace, right-arm pace, two mystery spinners, a couple of all-rounders and batting till number eight. They had a legitimate claim as the best ever T20 side assembled, an honour that was given to the 2020 Mumbai Indians.
Moving on, the mega auction meant KKR had to start over and rebuild the team. The Knight Riders, under the head coach Chandrakant Pandit, opted to let go of their previous season’s captain Shreyas Iyer. They retained Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell along with Harshit Rana and Ramandeep Singh as uncapped picks.
Having secured six players who cover most of the skill set requirements, they did a decent job in the auction to complete the squad. KKR brought back Venkatesh Iyer for 23.75 cr while also adding Anrich Nortje, Quinton de Kock, Spencer Johnson and Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
KKR’s loyal servant, Sunil Narine was instrumental in their success last year with both bat and ball, earning the ‘Most Valuable Player’ award for the third time.
Narine, as an opener, reached batting heights no one could believe as he and Phil Salt destroyed the bowling attacks for fun. He went on to smash 488 runs in the season at an average of 35 and strike rate of 181. He registered three half centuries and a century. If he can replicate a similar performance, KKR would be able to utilise their squad much better.
However, since IPL, he has scored 96 runs in 13 innings while opening the innings. There is a good chance he won’t be opening in the upcoming season. In which case, KKR have to find a new opening pair. Their top options include Ajinkya Rahane, de Kock, Gurbaz, and Iyer.
Narine’s impact with the ball was perhaps even bigger in a tournament where bowlers were getting tormented at almost every venue. He picked up 17 wickets at an economy of 6.69. Among those who bowled more than six overs, only Jasprit Bumrah had a better economy.
Kolkata Knight Riders boast of arguably the best lower middle order trio of the competition in Rinku Singh, Andre Russell and Ramandeep Singh. How they fare will be critical for KKR in the IPL 2025.
Rinku Singh, who was magnificent in the 2023 edition, wasn’t at his best last year. He made 168 runs across 11 innings at a strike rate of 148 while averaging under 19. Russell and Ramandeep, on the other hand, were terrific. Russell hit 222 runs at an average of 32 and strike rate of 185 while Ramandeep struck at 201 for his 125 runs, providing them quick cameos consistently.
For a long time, KKR’s batting unit largely depended on Russell and that backfired more often than not. But since Rinku’s rise and with Ramandeep’s addition, they have a reliable lower middle order.
Kolkata Knight Riders’ decision to spend 24.75 crore on Mitchell Starc paid off as the Aussie pacer delivered big in the later stages of the 2024 season. They couldn’t get him back in the mega auction but secured a like-for-like replacement in Spencer Johnson.
The tall left-arm fast bowler from Australia has been excellent in the shorter format in the last couple years. In the ongoing Big Bash League, he has taken 12 wickets from seven games at a strike rate of 13.16.
Harshit Rana was pretty good in his role for KKR last year, picking up 19 wickets at an economy of 9.08 and striking every 13.3 balls. Vaibhav Arora played 10 matches in the season and bagged 11 scalps. KKR have brought him back as well.
With Nortje battling injuries and Johnson’s form, this trio is likely to be Kolkata Knight Riders’ pace attack for the upcoming season. A lot will hinge on how the pace battery performs in the IPL 2025.
