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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are two-time champions of the Indian Premier League (IPL). They won the first trophy back in 2012, while their second championship triumph came in the year 2014.
Gautam Gambhir was KKR's captain in both seasons. He has reunited with the Kolkata-based franchise ahead of IPL 2024. This time, Gambhir has taken up a mentor's role.
The former KKR skipper assembled a strong squad for the team's upcoming campaign. He went all out for Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc and signed him for a whopping ₹24.75 crore.
Considering the amount that Kolkata invested to sign Starc, it goes without saying that he will be their number one overseas pick, but who will be the other foreign players in KKR's playing XI? Here's a ranking of the potential three combinations that Kolkata could use.
#3 Mitchell Starc, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Dushmantha Chameera
As mentioned ahead, Mitchell Starc will always feature in the Kolkata Knight Riders' playing XI. Only an injury to Starc will force the Knight Riders to leave him out of the team.
The same goes for Andre Russell and Sunil Narine. The two Caribbean all-rounders have been the biggest match-winners for the Kolkata-based franchise in their IPL history. Both started their journey with KKR under Gautam Gambhir's captaincy. The mentor has enormous faith in them, which is why both all-rounders should feature in the starting XI as well.
Kolkata smartly roped in Sherfane Rutherford as a backup for Andre Russell. Rutherford is another big-hitting all-rounder from the West Indies. Also, Kolkata offered a contract to Mujeeb ur Rahman, who can be the backup overseas spinner for the team.
The fourth overseas spot will be up for grabs. England pacer Gus Atkinson would have likely shared the new ball with Mitchell Starc, but he made himself unavailable for the tournament. Kolkata named Dushmantha Chameera as Atkinson's replacement. Thus, the Sri Lankan pacer could be the fourth overseas player.
#2 Mitchell Starc, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Phil Salt
If Kolkata prefer picking Dushmantha Chameera in their playing XI, then they will have to assign the wicketkeeping duties to KS Bharat. However, if Kolkata do not wish to have an extra overseas pacer in the playing XI, they can include Phil Salt in the team.
Salt has joined Kolkata as a replacement for Jason Roy. The England wicketkeeper-batter has a great record in T20 cricket, but his recent form has not been up to the mark. It will be interesting to see if Kolkata pick him in the playing XI straightaway.
#1 Ideal overseas combination for KKR - Mitchell Starc, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz
The perfect foreign combination for the Knight Riders will be the quartet of Starc, Russell, Narine, and Afghanistan's wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz. KKR signed Gurbaz during the IPL 2023 trade window, and the young wicketkeeper-batter played two impressive knocks for the team last season.
Gurbaz knows the conditions at Eden Gardens well. Plus, he had a great World Cup campaign in India last year, which is why he should get the first chance to play.
