Two of the main players of two-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be missing from the ongoing season, piling pressure on the team ahead of their second match of the season against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Thursday, April 5.
Injury and unavailability crises in KKR camp
The team from Kolkata suffered a seven-run loss against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) and despite the difference being quite little, it was actually the Duckworth-Lewis method that saved them in what was an otherwise dull performance, especially with the bat. And between the two matches, news of the unavailability of both Shakib Al Hasan and Shreyas Iyer hit the camp.
While Iyer's absence was expected, Shakib pulling out came as a bit of a shocker. The premier Bangladesh all-rounder pulled out of the tournament due to his International commitments and personal issues, and the next day, regular skipper Shreyas Iyer, who was to captain the side and also lead the middle-order batters, was ruled out of the entire IPL as he will undergo a surgery to treat his back injury.
In his absence, Jason Roy has been drafted into the squad, but there has been no announcement on a proper replacement for Iyer yet.
All-round improvement needed
A quick-fire fifty-run partnership between Andre Russell and Venkatesh Iyer, who was promoted to No. 4, was the highlight of their batting against the Kings, despite all the firepower in the team. KKR can take positives from a cracking start by Afghan wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who smashed a flurry of boundaries and a 101-metre six before perishing for 22.
But the attack will be put to test against the likes of Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli, who looked in imperious touch in an unbeaten 82 in their eight-wicket win over Mumbai Indians. All eyes will be on Tim Southee and Sunil Narine, who were expensive despite getting crucial wickets against Punjab.
Buoyant RCB need to be wary of their bowlers
RCB's batters will surely target the bowlers on the KKR side, but they will need to be careful of their owner unit. After dismantling the experienced top-order of MI in a well-rounded performance, youngsters Tilak Varma and Nehal Wadhera carried the team to a 170+ total, something that seemed unlikely after their performance in the opening stages of the match.
RCB's pace trio of Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel and Akash Deep will also look to make it count on a seaming-friendly Eden. But they are likely to miss English pacer Reece Topley, who suffered a shoulder dislocation. David Willey is expected to replace him.
Squads
Kolkata Knight Riders
Nitish Rana (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Anukul Roy, Rinku Singh, N. Jagadeesan, Vaibhav Arora, Suyash Sharma, David Wiese, Kulwant Khejroliya, Litton Das and Mandeep Singh.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Suyash Prabhudessai, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat, Finn Allen, Glenn Maxwell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, David Willey, Karn Sharma, Mahipal Lomror, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood, Siddarth Kaul, Akash Deep, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma and Michael Bracewell.
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(With PTI Inputs)
