Defending champions KKR have built a squad that, at least on paper, are capable of going for a second consecutive IPL title.
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have stuck with some old guns, went all out for a player they see as their future leader and put their money on some relatively untested talent to build their squad for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL). On the surface, it may look like they let go of three key figures of their title triumph last year in erstwhile captain Shreyas Iyer, pacer Mitchell Starc and explosive opener Phil Salt. However, just a little scratch on that surface is enough to show that KKR have stuck to their time-tested philosophy of holding on to some of their pillars come what may.
Ajinkya Rahane will be leading KKR in his second stint with the side(KKR)
KKR were widely expected to announce Venkatesh Iyer as their captain after splurging INR 23.75 Crore on the all-rounder. However, Iyer was made the vice-captain and the captain was the experienced Ajinkya Rahane. This is Rahane’s second stint with KKR, although his previous one is probably something he and fans wouldn’t be too thrilled to recall. He was selected just seven times in the 2022 season, scoring 133 at a measly strike rate of 103.90 and average of 19.00. It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if he has a vastly different season this time, though, having transformed his approach in T20 cricket after he left them for CSK. Moreover, Rahane was simply sensational in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scoring 469 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 164.56 as he powered Mumbai to the title.
Strengths: Experienced batters and spinners
KKR’s top six options could very well be Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell and Rinku Singh. Sunil Narine got absolutely nothing with the bat before and after IPL 2024 but his runs were as important as his wickets in their run to the title and so he could be thrown into the top three as well. This means KKR have at least six proven names in their top six and a wild card in the form of Narine.
Narine is no wild card in the spin department though. With 17 wickets, he may have been their third-most succesfull bowler in 2024 behind Harshit Rana and Andre Russell but the fact that he maintained an economy of 6.69 is arguably what made the bigger impact. Partnering him would be the irresistible Varun Chakravarthy, whose impact in the recent matches he has played for India in T20Is and ODIs can be compared to what Jasprit Bumrah tends to do.
Weakness: Lack of an experienced pacer
The only somewhat clear weakness in KKR’s squad on paper is the fact that they lack a truly experienced pace bowling spearhead. They have a couple of precocious talents in Spencer Johnson and Rana but the fact remains that they don’t possess the experience of Starc. They do have Anrich Nortje but the South African hasn’t quite been at his best in the last two seasons in the IPL. Andre Russell’s impact as a bowler cannot be understated though. As stated earlier, he took more wickets than Narine did last year.
Fresh Faces
Spencer Johnson is pretty much the only IPL newbie in the KKR squad. He has played just once in India, in his debut ODI in Indore. Johnson ended up being smashed for 61 runs for no wickets in eight overs. But the talent is there, Johnson had won player of the match in the BBL 2023/24 final.
Prediction
Just from the way look on paper, KKR are a side that could have a truly deep run this season, maybe even another appearance in the final. However, the fact remains that they do have a few players who have seen both good and absolutely forgettable days in the IPL, case in point being their captain Rahane himself. If all falls in place though, KKR definitely do have a squad capable of defending the title.
