An in-depth preview of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the IPL 2024 auction including their strengths, weaknesses, purse remaining, players to target and more.
KKR have been inconsistent since they last won the IPL in 2014. They were exceptional on some days, but struggled on most others to finish seventh on the table in 2023. Heavily dependent on spin, KKR have struggled to adapt to the bouncier Eden Gardens track of late, and will hope the inclusion of Gautam Gambhir – the only captain under whom they have won the IPL – as mentor for the 2024 season helps them improve.
Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2024 auction preview: Trades, full squad, purse & slots remaining
Trades
Kolkata Knight Riders have not made any changes so far for IPL 2024.
Players released
Aaliya Desai, David Weese, Johnson Charles, Kulwant Kejoriya, Litton Das, Lockie Ferguson, Mandeep Singh, N Jagadeesan, Shakib Al Hasan, Shardul Thakur, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav.
Squad before auction
Andre Russell, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Jason Roy, Nitish Rana, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Sunil Narine, Suyash Sharma, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Venkatesh Iyer.
Purse remaining (in INR)
32.7 crore
Slots remaining
12 (4 overseas)
Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2024 auction preview: Strengths
A threatening spin unit
When Narine, Varun and Suyash bowl at the same time, it becomes difficult for any batting unit. Narine has struggled to take wickets over the past two seasons but is economical and experienced. Varun will be the team’s leading wicket-taker in his 2023 and mystery spinner Suyash will be his X-factor.
A strong Indian core
KKR has a solid Indian core with Venkatesh and Rana at the top followed by Shreyas and Rinku. Rana, Rinku and Venkatesh all scored over 400 runs last year, but Shreyas’ return (he will miss 2023 due to injury) will be an added boost. Rinku is currently India’s designated finisher for the T20I team and his rise is one of the franchise’s most inspiring stories.
Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2024 auction preview: Weaknesses
Russell’s form
Russell has struggled in recent seasons, and his form is a major concern. He averaged 20.64 RBI in 2023, but since 2020 he has only hit 250 or more RBIs once. His fitness issues also hurt his KKR and his dismal performance affected the batting depth.
Need lots of pacers
KKR have released Ferguson, Umesh, Southee and Thakur and are in dire need of at least three quality quicks, ideally two of whom should be foreign players. KKR conceded 9.30 runs over in IPL 2023, but the quicks reached almost 11. That was he one of their biggest weaknesses in this matter.
The opening slot
KKR’s powerplay strike rate in 2023 was 130, but the lack of a great start increased pressure on the middle order. They have had 12 of his players since last year, but their inability to find a cohesive duo at the top has been their biggest drawback.
Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2024 auction preview: Potential first XI
KKR’s current squad needs significant reinforcements at the auction to form a formidable eleven.
Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2024 auction preview: Players to target
Quick: KKR needs at least two experienced pacers in their starting lineup. They could target Josh Hazlewood to lead the pace attack, while players like Gerard Coetzee may find the conditions at Eden Gardens helpful. Harshal He Patel could also be selected.
Opener: KKR has the budget to sign players who are in demand. Travis Head, who crushed India in both ICC Trophy finals this year, could be the frontrunner. Since his last IPL, the opener averaged just over 17 and he has also struggled with his strike rate, and the introduction of Head could solve the problem.
