Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) haven’t played quality cricket in the last two seasons but in 2024, their fans will want their side to be at its best. KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer, who missed the entire 2023 IPL edition, will make a comeback in the cash-rich league. In his absence, Nitish Rana captained the team in 2023 but failed to be impactful with his leadership skills.
With Shreyas’ return, things are expected to change for Knight Riders. The franchise has also roped in their former skipper Gautam Gambhir as a mentor to get effective results in 2024. At the IPL 2024 auction in Dubai, they hit the headlines for signing up the Australia quick Mitchell Starc for the record amount of INR 24.75 crore.
Besides Starc, they added nine more players to the squad which featured renowned names such as Manish Pandey, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Gus Atkinson, and Chetan Sakariya. Following the auction, it’s time to know the best XI of the two-time IPL champions.
Here is KKR’s best XI after the 2024 IPL auction:
1. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Wk)
Rahmanullah Gurbaz Batting. ( Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Rahmanullah Gurbaz will be given the responsibility of opening innings for the side in 2024 again. In 2023, he made his IPL debut in KKR colours and looked decent with his bat. The Afghan wicketkeeper batter played 11 games and smashed 227 runs at a strike rate of 133.53.
In 2024, the KKR team management will want him to do better. Unlike the previous season, Gurbaz will have to deliver fine numbers to the team consistently in 2024. With the availability of England’s Jason Roy, the 22-year-old will back himself to play aggressive cricket and become the main member of KKR.
2. Venkatesh Iyer
Venkatesh Iyer. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Venkatesh Iyer has become a vital cog in KKR after serving the team for three years. The left-handed batter has played 36 games but won the team’s confidence with his excellent performance. Since his debut in 2021, he has piled up 956 runs at a strike rate of 130.25.
In 2023, he scored 404 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 145.85. After 15 years, KKR got their second centurion after Venkatesh’s spectacular ton against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the iconic Wankhede Stadium. KKR will heavily bank on the 29-year-old to amass runs at a swift pace in powerplay overs.
3. Shreyas Iyer (C)
Shreyas Iyer. (Photo Source: Twitter/IndianPremierLeague)
Shreyas Iyer will look to lead KKR from the front in the upcoming competition. The skipper will endeavour to inspire his side to play a fierce brand of cricket and quench Kolkata’s trophy drought which has been going on since 2015. After returning from his back injury, Iyer has looked confident with his bat in India jersey.
In the 2023 World Cup, he scored 530 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 113.24. After the World Cup campaign, he exuded confidence with a half-century in the T20 International (T20I) match against Australia in Bengaluru. Noting his current form in white-ball cricket, Kolkata will expect him to become their second captain after Gambhir to win the title.
4. Nitish Rana
Nitish Rana. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Nitish Rana was the stand-in skipper of the team in 2023 in Iyer’s absence but he failed to be impactful in the role. Under his captaincy, KKR concluded their journey in the seventh spot with six wins and eight losses in 14 games. However, his batting numbers were satisfactory in the competition as he scored 413 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 140.95.
In the 2024 edition, he won’t face the leadership pressure as Shreyas will be handling the captaincy mantle. As a batter, he will get a chance to play freely and deliver match-winning knocks to the team while batting in the middle order.
5. Andre Russell
Andre Russell Batting. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Andre Russell‘s bat remained quiet in the 2023 IPL. He scored only 227 runs for KKR in 14 matches at an average of 20.64. For the upcoming season, Kolkata will want one of their oldest stalwarts to come heavily on bowlers. The Caribbean player has been a part of the side since 2014 and during these 10 years, he has piled up 2’269 runs in 96 innings at a remarkable strike rate of 175.07.
With these numbers, he is the third-leading run-getter for the team, following Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir. The veteran will look to perform exceptionally in the IPL 2024 season and maintain his stellar stature in the team. KKR will want him to utilise his ferocious batting skills and play the role of an efficient finisher for them again.
6. Rinku Singh
Rinku Singh (Photo Source: Twitter)
Rinku Singh has emerged as an accomplished player for the team in the last few years. The dynamic left-handed batter displayed his batting mettle in 2023 and ended up as the highest run-scorer for the side in the last season. He hit 474 runs in 14 contests at a strike rate of 149.52.
His spunky batting display for KKR helped him debut for India in white-ball cricket. Eyes will be set on the 26-year-old again in the cash-rich league as Kolkata supporters will expect him to don the role of a finisher and win close games for their team in 2024. Talking about his recent batting performances, he did a fine job for India in South Africa. In the three-match T20I series against the Proteas, he notched up his maiden international fifty.
7. Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine (Photo Source: Twitter)
Sunil Narine looked off-colour in the 2023 IPL, picking up only 11 wickets in 14 games at an economy of 7.97. As a spin-bowling spearhead, he failed to live up to expectations. The 35-year-old is the oldest stalwart in the current KKR squad and noting his responsibility, the team will want him to be effective with the ball.
After the 2023 IPL, the star player was impactful in the 2023 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) but looked out of rhythm in the 2023 Abu Dhabi T10 League. Narine will have to regain his form to serve Kolkata efficiently. In his vast IPL career, he has played 171 matches and bagged 181 wickets at an economy of 6.65. These numbers also make him the highest wicket-taker for KKR.
8. Mitchell Starc
Mitchell Starc. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)
Australia’s veteran pacer Mitchell Starc will feature in IPL after nine years. He became a part of KKR in the 2024 IPL auction for the record amount of INR 24.75 crore. Following this deal, KKR supporters will want the Aussie to justify his hefty price. The star player’s record is extraordinary in the cash-rich league as he has clinched 34 wickets in 27 matches at an economy of 7.17.
In the upcoming competition, his responsibility will be to lead KKR’s pace attack and provide early breakthroughs to the team, with the ball. Before bagging the lucrative contract, he hit the headlines for his valiant bowling performance for Australia in the 2023 World Cup knockout matches against South Africa and India.
9. Chetan Sakariya
Chetan Sakariya (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)
Chetan Sakariya’s duty will be to support Starc to bolster KKR’s fast-bowling unit. The 25-year-old grabbed a lot of attention in the 2021 IPL for his decent performance for Rajasthan Royals (RR). Wearing RR’s jersey, he took 14 wickets in 14 matches at an economy of 8.19.
However, he failed to be impactful in the league after 2021 which led to his ouster from the Delhi Capitals (DC) squad. In the 2024 auction, KKR have invested INR 20 lakh in him. In the upcoming tournament, the paceman will have to prove his mettle to become an asset for KKR.
10. Varun Chakravarthy
Varun Chakravarthy. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Varun Chakravarthy will assist Narine in serving KKR’s spin-bowling unit. The 32-year-old took 20 wickets in 14 matches at an economy of 8.14 and became the leading wicket-taker for Knight Riders in the 2023 IPL season. Chakravarthy joined the KKR camp in 2023 and since then, he has delivered some scintillating performances to the team.
Discussing his overall numbers for KKR, he has got 61 wickets in 55 matches at an economy of 7.39. Along with Narine, Chakravarthy has also become a vital part of the team as he provides a variety to KKR’s spin attack with his leg-break bowling. In the upcoming IPL season, the leggie’s pair with Narine will be crucial for Kolkata to fare well.
11. Suyash Sharma
Suyash Sharma (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
KKR gave Suyash Sharma a chance to make his IPL debut in 2023 and in return, he looked satisfactory with the ball. The 20-year-old picked up 10 wickets in 11 games at an economy of 8.23 in his maiden appearance. In 2024, the KKR team management will want him to elevate his performance.
Along with the experienced names Narine and Chakravarthy, the youngster will get to learn a lot of positive things that will help him serve the team excellently. In the 2023-24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Suyash exuded confidence with the ball for his domestic side Delhi, grabbing 18 wickets in seven contests at an economy of 4.64.