IPL 2017: SWOT analysis of Kolkata Knight Riders

Weaknesses:

Kolkata will again look to Gambhir and Uthappa to lead from the front

A recurring issue has gripped the KKR top order for the last couple of seasons, which has been defined by inconsistent performances by their premium batsmen. Sans Gambhir, who scored more than 500 runs last season, the top four, Uthappa, Pandey and Suryakumar all averaged less than 30 in 15 matches with strike rates of less than 140.

With Pathan unable to replicate his swashbuckling performance for KKR consistently, the KKR marathon never gets forth in the first six overs, which often slows down the momentum for the rest of the innings, which always left too much for the likes of Hasan and Russel to conquer last season.

Suryakumar, the former captain of Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, has the habit of falling prey to unnecessary shots, which leaves the team reeling. The lack of a current international star in the top 5 could spell doom for the Knights against a strong bowling line-up, like Mumbai Indians or Sunrisers Hyderabad.

With Russel missing this season, the team lacks a serious reliable pinch hitter who can take the game away from the opposition just by his mere presence. Darren Bravo hardly seems a threat in the shortest format and KKR could have been judicial in picking up a proven T20 batsman at this year’s auctions, to check the inconsistency that has been threatening them.

Losing wickets in tandem (who can forget KKR’s awful collapse in 2013 against Rajasthan Royals, collapsing from 121/1 to 123/6 in just seven deliveries), wreaked havoc by irresponsible shots at pressure moments is a plague that has been affecting the Knights for long.

The biggest weakness, however, can be pointed to the lack of a genuine wicket-keeper in the squad. While Uthappa does not even keep wickets for his domestic team Karnataka, the other keeper, Sheldon Jackson is hardly likely to get a game in.

The opener was nothing less than a disaster behind the stumps last season, with catches popping out from the gloves regularly or easy stumpings being missed in almost every game. With a number of byes given to the rival teams, Uthappa, on more than one occasion, was guilty of giving set batsmen another window of opportunity, but despite such weaknesses in the side, they still managed snail their way into the Playoff stage of the competition.