Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted Playing XI If Only Indian Players Played In The IPL

Kolkata Knight Riders do have a lot of Indian options in their squad and the two-time champions need to show a lot more progress as a team despite the individual brilliance. They had invested in young Indian quicks who were excellent in the  Under-19 world cup but they have been far more inconsistent.

The franchise has been dependent on Andre Russell so much and they should relieve him of the pressure built on him to extract the best out of him. They haven’t made the playoffs since the 2018 edition and they have got a lot of quality players in their squad to compete among the best teams. Here is the Kolkata Knight Riders predicted playing XI if only Indian players played in the IPL.

Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted Playing XI If Only Indian Players Played In The IPL:

Shubman Gill:

Shubman Gill hasn’t been in the best of form in recent times and he needs to work on being more consistent. He is an important player in the Kolkata Knight Riders squad and the 132 runs from 7 games this edition is way too low for a player of the caliber of him. He plays some mind-blowing shots at times and he needs to make sure that his shot selection is sensible.

Nitish Rana:

Nitish Rana started the season brilliantly giving the perfect starts for Kolkata Knight Riders at the top of the order but he has come under scrutiny after that and managed 201 runs in the 7 games this season. The elegant left-hander from Delhi is immensely talented and he needs to keep contributing consistently to make it to the Indian side. He can also bowl some handy off-spin to act as the sixth bowler on the side.

Rahul Tripathi:

Rahul Tripathi had a lot of starts this season even if he couldn’t a big score and he had been contributing with the bat consistently. He scored 187 runs in the 7 games he played and he needs to be moved to the top where he is at his best. The Maharashtra batsman was trusted to be the number three for Kolkata Knight Riders throughout the season by the management and he would have liked to have a big score under his name.

Karun Nair:

Karun Nair is one of the most unfortunate batsmen to have missed on a spot in the Indian test team despite scoring a triple hundred and he hasn’t got his act going after that. He has moved to various franchises in the last three years and he hasn’t played a single game this season for the Kolkata Knight Riders. The Karnataka batsman has definitely got the goods to deliver and he can be backed at number four.

Sheldon Jackson:

Sheldon Jackson is another experienced campaigner who hasn’t played many IPL matches. The wicket-keeper batsman was picked up as the backup option for Dinesh Karthik and he has been in terrific form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament this year. He has shown that he can hit the long balls and he can do the job for the side at the number five position for Kolkata Knight Riders.

Dinesh Karthik(C & WK):

Dinesh Karthik can move up the order according to the situation but he is one of the best finishers in the game going around and he has preferred to take the responsibility of winning the games for the difficult situations. He is a brilliant leader and he should be the captain of the franchise in the absence of regular skipper Eoin Morgan. He scored 123 runs in the 7 games he played for Kolkata Knight Riders and made some useful contributions this year.

Pawan Negi:

Pawan Negi will be the all-rounder on the side and he can certainly bat at seven for Kolkata Knight Riders. He can bowl four overs on most days and if he has an off day, Nitish Rana can come into play. The left-hander is also a brilliant fielder and can tonk the big sixes at the back end of the innings. He hasn’t played an IPL game this season and he can definitely fit into any IPL side.

Shivam Mavi:

Shivam Mavi got a lot of opportunities this season and was handed the new ball by the skipper too. He managed to pick up two wickets in the 3 games he played and his confidence was shattered by Prithvi Shaw’s brilliant display of six fours in the first over he bowled. However, the youngster has got a lot of pace and can swing the new ball and he needs to get it in the right areas to make the ball talking.

Kamalesh Nagarkoti:

Kamalesh Nagarkoti had missed his first two IPL seasons with injury and he needed to have some game time to be at his best. He was outstanding in the U-19 Worldcup and showed a lot of promise for the future. He played a few games last season but hasn’t got many opportunities this season for Kolkata Knight Riders and he is another youngster who can be groomed with his raw pace.

Prasidh Krishna:

The Karnataka bowler, Prasidh Krishna who recently made his ODI debut for India, played seven games and managed to pick up eight wickets this season. He is one of the important bowlers in the franchise and will lead the pace attack for the side. He has got pace and hits the difficult lengths for the batsman to face. He is a certainty in the playing XI right now.

Varun Chakravarthy:

Varun Chakravarthy has been the best bowler for the Kolkata Knight Riders so far in the last two editions and he even earned him an Indian maiden call-up after his impressive performances. He picked up 7 wickets in 7 games this edition and has taken the responsibility of leading the spin attack in the side. He is in the scheme of things for the T20 world cup and will be a key contributor to the side.