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Currently second on the Indian Premier League (IPL) table, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have started their 2022 campaign brightly with three wins in five matches. But their opening batting displays have left much to be desired, especially with the departure of the in-form Shubman Gill.
Having retained the hard-hitting Venkatesh Iyer, KKR lost Gill to Gujarat Titans (GT) before the 2022 IPL mega auction. Their main priority was to rope in a successful opener and so the hierarchy went with veteran Ajinkya Rahane, who they bought for his base price of Rs 1 crore. KKR also got Alex Hales for Rs 1.5 crore, but the Englishman opted out of this season's IPL citing bio-bubble fatigue.
With over 4,000 runs in the IPL, a lot relied on Rahane's shoulders. But apart from a 44 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) while chasing 132 in their opening match, Rahane is not firing on all cylinders. He has 80 runs at a terrible average of 16.00 in five matches for KKR.
The Knight Riders next play the in-form Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Friday (April 15) and Rahane's form poses a dilemma for head coach Brendon McCullum and his staff - Who can take the inconsistent Rahane's place?
Tried and tested options
Sunil Narine
KKR fans have fond memories of Sunil Narine as the team's opener. The off-spinner, who starred in both their IPL-winning campaigns (2012 and 2014) with the ball, was tasked with opening the batting for KKR back in the 2017 season. Starting off as a pinch-hitter, Narine soon became a regular, having opened in 36 of his next 42 innings by the 2020 season.
Narine's role with the bat is fixed - come, hit, leave. He has not done much of that this season, however, with Pat Cummins being promoted ahead of him after the Australian's unbeaten 56 against Mumbai Indians on April 6. Moreover, Venkatesh is finally finding his feet, and it seems unlikely that the management would risk Narine's wicket at the beginning, in case of an unforeseen collapse.
Nitish Rana
Nitish Rana has always had a floating role in the KKR top-order, sometimes coming in at one down and sometimes waiting till four wickets have fallen to enter the field. He has also experimented with life as an opener for KKR and might be an option that McCullum can look into.
The 28-year-old's highest score in IPL 2021 came as an opener when he smashed a 56-ball 80 to help KKR beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and win their 100th match in the IPL.
Foreign alternatives
Aaron Finch
Australian skipper Aaron Finch was brought in to replace Hales. The experienced opener's 76-ball 172 (against Zimbabwe in 2018) is the highest score in a T20I, and he also led Australia to their maiden T20 World Cup trophy in 2021.
In the IPL however, Finch has had minimal success, with just 2,005 runs in 87 matches across 10 seasons. His best campaign was in 2016, where he scored 393 runs in 13 matches at an average of 39.30 for the erstwhile Gujarat Lions (GL). With the KKR foreigners doing exceptionally well this season, it is highly unlikely that the Aussie will replace them.
Sam Billings
Within their current starting XI, KKR have the option of playing English wicketkeeper-batter Sam Billings. The 30-year-old cost KKR Rs 2 crores at the mega auction, and he has played every match for them this season. Billings is their regular man behind the stumps as well, and the Englishman has notched crucial runs in the middle overs for KKR.
The team hierarchy have placed a lot of faith in Billings, who has failed to nail a starting spot in any of his previous IPL teams. In five matches, the middle-order batter has scored 95 runs (15 more than Rahane), helping his side to victories in the latter stages of games. With an ability to anchor matches and also hit the ball out of the park, promoting Billings up the order is worth a shot.
Uncapped risks
Pratham Singh
The 29-year-old was part of the erstwhile GL in IPL 2017 but failed to make his debut. Now returning to the IPL after five seasons, Pratham Singh will hope to create an immediate impact. His maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy during the 2019-20 season saw Pratham amass 438 runs in 10 matches at an average of 54.75 and strike rate of 136.02 for the Railways. In the 2020-21 season, he smashed 299 runs at an average of 74.75 with a hundred and two fifties as well. Still untested in the IPL, playing Pratham might be a gamble that pays off.
Abhijeet Tomar
Another uncapped option is 27-year-old Abhijeet Tomar, who has shown his talent in List A matches but is yet to shine at T20 level. Tomar has scored 389 runs at an average of 48.62 in nine List A games, with two half-centuries and a century to his name. He has also played five T20 matches, averaging 13 runs per game. His inclusion in the team will be a definite surprise.
