New-look KKR hope for a big break against DD

The Knights squad almost remains the same with the core team that gave them the titles in 2012 and 2014 still there but they have added some all-rounders such as Colin Munro, Jason Holder and John Hastings. 

Delhi’s addition for this season assumes significance as they have the most explosive West Indian batsman Carlos Barthwaite. They have also brought in England batsman Sam Billings.

Last Sunday, Brathwaite smashed four consecutive sixes in the final over to gift West Indies the World T20 trophy at the Eden. A week later he will be in different colours trying the same for his franchise. 

The KKR bowlers will be wary of his strengths and therefore might rely on spin to do the trick on a wicket that turns.Brad Hogg and Piyush Chawla might get drafted into the final XI, supported by Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan who bowls left-arm spin. 

Mystery spinner Sunil Narine is not likely to be back for the clash, as he has returned to his country after his father’s demise.

On paper, KKR’s pace unit is not the fiercest, but it is promising due to the presence of Umesh Yadav and Jayadev Unadkat. It will once again be led by South African fast bowler Morne Morkel, who clocks 145 kmph with ease in such conditions. 

Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey have been two vital cogs in the KKR batting wheel. Both have scored plenty of runs in the IPL and skipper Gautam Gambhir will again look to them to deliver the goods.

Gambhir and Uthappa feature in the fifth and sixth position among the IPL’s leading run scorers and they would want to make it count this time as well.

“We are a very well balanced unit. We have great options which makes selection tough. Few new faces, which will give us a few new ideas and options. It is going to be exciting, we are looking forward to it,” KKR coach Jacques Kallis told the media here. 

Delhi have a mix of experience and youth going into the ninth edition of the league. They have retained players like Jean-Paul Duminy and Quinton de Kock who are tailor made for the T20 format. 

They also have the youthful energy of Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson to look forward to. Pant has scored a lot of runs for the India U-19 team and might get his chance to open the innings in a few games. 

The bowling unit will be led by wily old warhorse Zaheer Khan, who will also be leading the side. He will have support from seasoned spinners Imran Tahir and Amit Mishra. The other fast bowlers in the side include Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mohammed Shami and Chris Morris -- who earlier used to play for the now suspended Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Kolkata Knight Riders won two IPL titles, first in 2012 and then in 2014. Last year, they were hanging in by the thread till the last two games. If they had won one of the matches, they could have progressed to the play-offs. Chasing was their problem and they finished fifth. The weak areas for KKR are the finishes and the death bowling.

Unlike KKR, Delhi Daredevils have not won the IPL, they have also not performed to potential. This year’s team is a mix of youth and experience with Zaheer Khan leading the side and young talents such as Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant in their ranks. They also have big names JP Duminy and Carlos Brathwaite.