Knight Riders- The new Avatar!

After three humiliating IPL seasons Shahrukh Khan left no stone unturned for KKR team selections this year. He did his best in bagging the best performers around. This team of KKR is 100 percent new, fresh,better and formidable comparing the previous seasons. However the team has taken a tough decision by leaving Sourav Dada aside, who was their icon Cricketer in the last 3 seasons, even though his performances were not up to the mark. 

Now lets see the flash back of this side under Sourav Ganguly. In the beginning of the IPL season, Kolkata team was rated the most popular team among all the teams in the league. People were expecting a lot from the team and rightly did they kepping the expectations high on a winning note thrashing Royal challengers Bangalore in the opening match. Brendon McCullum’s phenomenal performance with the bat helped the team to register their win. They also beat Gilchrist’s Deccan Chargers in their second match. The aftermath resulted in them experiencing failures as they lost 4 consecutive matches. Later on, Ganguly’s decent batting and Shoaib’s bowling helped them to register 3 win. All hopes were turned down, as they lost to Mumbai in a must win game which opened the gates for them.

The Second season was the worst for the Shah Rukh Khan’s boys as  they ended up last in the IPL standings. Seriously, a season of bad happening and a year to forget for the team. IPL 3 saw some decent performance by them, but that performance was not enough for them to march on anywhere towards the semi finals. They finished 6th in the points table.But come the start of this season, as they are a team with brilliant and dashing players in their side. Surely a team to watch out for.

Squad:

BATSMEN: Gautam Gambhir (c), Manoj Tiwary, Eoin Morgan.

ALL ROUNDERS: Rajat Bhatia, Yusuf Pathan, Jacques Kallis, LR Shukla, Ryan ten Doeschate , Shakib al Hasan.

BOWLERS: Brett Lee, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Pradeep Sangwan, SS Ladda, Iqbal Abdulla, Jaide Unadkat, James Pattinson, Shami Ahmed.

WICKETKEEPER: Brad Haddin, MS Bisla, SP Goswami.

This is a refreshed team of KKR with classic Players like Kallis, Gambhir, Lee and many other guys like Yusuf Pathan, Ryan ten Doeschate. Take this word. Here lies one of the fiercest squad and the top contenders for the Title.

TRUMP CARDS-

Gautam Gambhir :

The costliest player in the history of IPL as Knight Riders have bought him for Rs.11.6 crores. He will climb notches higher than his previous as he takes the Role of Captaining the side. With wonderful batting performance in the World cup, KKR will hope Gambhir to deliver his highest. He is one of the Players to watch out for in this IPL.

Yusuf pathan:

He is the fire cracker of this side who has been bought for Rs.9.66 crores in the very first bid. He has the ability to turn any game in the favor of his side with his aggressive batting and pinch hitting. He being in the side adds a lot of strength to the side as he can deliver with the ball too.

Jacques Kallis :

One of the best all rounders world cricket has ever had. A very good opening batsmen. He is one of the key players of the KKR. His wonderful batting and all round performance in last IPL made Shahrukh Khan to buy him for 5.1 crores really a worth !

Ryan ten Doeschate:

He has been a big name in the Dutch cricket as a perfect all rounder for side. His performance for Essex county and Netherlands in the World cup has made him a key player for this side. He also won the ICC Associate and Affiliate player of the year award for his performance with the bat and ball. Watch him play for this time.

Eoin Morgan:

This classic batsmen has been a promising player for the English side and hope he will have a good go with the Knights too. The Irish born English cricketer is with the reputation of inventive and audacious stroke play. He is one of the best finishers and can play a vital role in finishing for the Kolkata team.

Kolkata Knight Riders with their costly boys look to be a flamboyant team with lots of promising players. But, no Dada means angered Kolkata supporters and the team will miss his experienced services. Let us hope that KKR with big guns like Pathan, Gambhir, good players like Kallis, Morgan and promising all rounders like Ryan ten Doeschate will make Kolkata proud which Ganguly and co couldn’t do in 3 seasons of IPL. Wait and Watch out for this team having all required!