KKR Playing XI for IPL 2024: Captain, wicket-keeper, overseas players, Impact Players and More

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) initiated a revamp for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) with the appointment of former captain Gautam Gambhir as mentor. Under the leadership of Gambhir, who secured IPL victories in 2012 and 2014, and CEO Venky Mysore, the Shahrukh Khan co-owned franchise made significant moves at the IPL 2024 auction with a total spend of INR 31.35 crore to acquire 10 players – the highest among all teams. Notably, they also set a new record by investing 24.75 crore in Mitchell Starc, making it the highest amount spent on a single player in the history of the league.

Overall with Shreyas Iyer coming back and a possible lineup that will include Jason Roy, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh and Andre Russell, and a bowling lineup that will have Sunil Narine, Suyash Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Mujeeb, Starc and Sakariya, it seems like KKR have a solid 14-15 players to pick their XI.

Full KKR Squad and Player List for IPL 2024

KKR squad for IPL 2024: Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Shreyas Iyer (c), Jason Roy, Sunil Narine, Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, KS Bharat, Chetan Sakariya, Mitchell Starc, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Sherfane Rutherford, Manish Pandey, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Gus Atkinson, Sakib Hussain. 

Predicted KKR Playing XI for IPL 2024

1. Jason Roy
2. Venkatesh Iyer
3. Shreyas Iyer (c)
4. Nitish Rana
5. KS Bharat
6. Rinku Singh
7. Andre Russell
8. Sunil Narine
9. Mitchell Starc
10. Harshit Rana
11. Varun CV
12. Suyash Sharma (Impact player)

Wicket-keeper: KS Bharat can be given the nod ahead of Gurbaz if KKR wants to fit in Jason Roy into the squad. KKR bought Bharat as a backup for Gurbaz and can come in really handy for the team in giving flexibility while curating the playing XI. Although with top-order spots being scarce, Bharat will have to bat well out of position in that scenario.

Overseas Players: Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Mitchell Starc are the three automatic picks for KKR in the upcoming IPL 2024 season. Jason Roy is likely to be rotated depending on the pitch and venue if KKR wants to employ and extra bowler in Gus Atkinson. Roy can also be sacrificed for Gurbaz at the top of the order. There are quite a few combinations KKR can try out if they want Roy and Bharat in the mix but they should stick to Gurbaz and Venkatesh as the opening pair for the first few games.

In the bowling department, with Eden Gardens offering a spin-friendly pitch, KKR are likely to want to field from their excellent spin trio of Sunil Narine spearheading alongside Varun Chakaravarthy and Suyash Sharma. That would mean that one of them, either Suyash or Varun, would have to come off the bench as the impact player.

Also, following Starc’s inclusion in the side, only one spot remains. Harshit Rana could be the frontrunner for that role, with his ability to move the ball and hit hard lengths at a good clip. 

Impact Players: Suyash Sharma/Vaibhav Arora

How has the overall KKR Playing XI shaped up for IPL 2024 season?

Hits: 

• KKR strengthened their spin attack with the purchase of Mujeeb Rahman who can replace Sunil Narine if required.
•  Knight Riders needed fast bowlers and they acquired Mitchell Starc for an all-time high of INR 24.75 crore. Towards the end of the auction, they also snapped up Gus Atkinson.
•  Sherfane Rutherford, who was picked up in the auction can be a replacement for Russell but can’t play in the playing XI if KKR pick two overseas batters.
• The addition of Chetan Sakariya and Gus Atkinson can help KKR sort out the fast bowling issue.

Misses: 

• KKR are going to have issues while finishing games despite having Rinku. Manish Pandey the new addition is also not a finisher.
• Atkinson may not fit into the first-choice XI and KKR’s Indian seamers lack experience. 
• KKR also seem to be lacking the batting depth.

How impactful could Starc’s inclusion be for the team?#MitchStarc pic.twitter.com/An4mavzmHX

— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) December 19, 2023

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