IPL 2020: Ranking the teams based on their bench strength

#3 Kolkata Knight Riders

KKR

Predicted Starting XI: Shubman Gill, Sunil Narine, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan Dinesh Karthik (c and wk), Rahul Tripathi, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna

Two-time IPL Champions KKR boasts of one of the best starting line-ups for the coming season. They have great depth in their batting and have bolstered their bowling line-up with the addition of Aussie speedster Pat Cummins.

The reserve batsman for KKR includes Siddhesh Lad, backup wicketkeeper Tom Banton, Nikhil Naik, and Rinku Singh. Lad was transferred to KKR from Mumbai Indians ₹20 lakh and the right-handed batsman boasts of a solid temperament. The 27-year-old is not necessarily ideal for the T20 format and has the reputation of a defensive player. Hence, his services might not be required by KKR for the upcoming edition unless there is a crisis.

Tom Banton was roped in by KKR for his base price of ₹1 crores. The youngster is an opening batsman and can be a handy option in case Sunil Narine misfires. The English player played some scintillating knocks for Brisbane Heat in the recent Big Bash League and boasts of a phenomenal strike rate of 160.22 in the 27 T20s he has played.

Banton has also featured in 3 T20Is and is a specialist in the format. Nikhil Naik is most famous for smashing five sixes in an over during a match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The Right-handed batsman is yet to be tested at the big stage of the IPL. Rinku Singh will be the fourth backup option in the batting department.

Chris Green is the only backup option in the all-rounders' department. Narine, Rana, and Russell will all feature in the playing XI. Green is a capable off-break bowler and has been an instrumental part of the Sydney Thunder in BBL since the 2014/15 season. The Durban-born player boasts of an impressive economy rate of 6.77 in the 82 T20s he has played. He is also a handy middle-order batsman.

Pravin Tambe is one of the backup spinners in the squad but his participation in IPL 2020 remains doubtful.

Varun Chakravarthy and Manimaran Siddharth are two other spinning reserves in the team who will be backup options for Kuldeep Yadav. There has been a lot of hype around the Legbreak bowler Varun since the last edition but he is yet to bring out his best in the IPL. Getting a hefty sum of ₹4 crores for IPL 2020, the 28-year-old from Karnataka will be looking to justify his price tag this time around.

KKR has plenty of good backup options in the fast-bowling department. Kamlesh Nagarkoti, who was retained for ₹3.2 crores, and Sandeep Warrier will form the Indian backups. England's Harry Gurney and New Zealand's Lockie Ferguson are also good options as both have oodles of experience in T20s.