IPL 2022: 3 players who can open for KKR with Venkatesh Iyer

The 15th edition of the IPL is expected to start in the last week of March. Kolkata Knight Riders came into the IPL mega-auction having retained Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and Venkatesh Iyer.

KKR's major acquisitions among Indian batsmen at the IPL mega-auction were Shreyas Iyer (12.25 crores), Nitish Rana (8 crores), and Ajinkya Rahane (1 crore). Alex Hales and Sam Billings were their biggest signings in the overseas batters department. KKR have also appointed Shreyas Iyer as the new captain of the franchise after releasing England captain Eoin Morgan.

Let's take a look at three batters who can open the innings for the Knight Riders along with Venkatesh Iyer.

#3 Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine revolutionized T20 cricket with his elite batting in the powerplay overs. He was a 'pinch-hitter', which meant he went after the bowlers right from the start without putting any value on his wicket. He has scored 724 runs as an opener in the IPL at a mind-boggling strike rate of 177 and an average of 20 runs per dismissal.

Narine's performances as an opener in the IPL have declined a lot. He failed in the first four games of the 2020 season, as fast bowlers kept exposing his weaknesses against the short ball.

However, Narine recently had an insane run in the Bangladesh Premier League playoffs. After opening the batting, he scored 57 (16) in the semi-final and 57 (23) in the final for the Comilla Victorians. The knocks were extremely impactful on these Bangladesh wickets with par scores of 140-150.

#2 Nitish Rana

Nitish Rana was bought back by KKR for 8 crores at the IPL mega-auction. He was one of the most consistent Indian batters in the previous cycle (2018-2021). Rana has opened 12 times in the IPL, scoring 437 runs at an average of 36 and a strike rate of 134. He has scored five half-centuries.

Rana's best performance as an opener came against the Delhi Capitals in 2020 when he made 81(53) after KKR collapsed to 42/3. His partnership with Narine (64 off 32 balls) took KKR to 194/6 in 20 overs.

Rana opening the batting allows the team to strengthen their middle-order. Instead of Sheldon Jackson, KKR could then play a more attacking middle-order batter in Sam Billings. This would be KKR's best strategy if Narine doesn't find his batting form in the IPL and Alex Hales happens to be unavailable for a few games.

#1 Alex Hales

Alex Hales was signed by the Knight Riders for just 2 crores at the IPL mega-auction. The English opener is one of the most dangerous batters in the shortest format. He has scored 9371 runs in 334 T20 matches at an average of 30 and a strike rate of 146.

Hales is yet to get a long run as an opener in the IPL. He has only played six matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018, scoring 148 runs at an average of 25 and a strike rate of 125.

Hales has been in great T20 form in the last couple of years. Since 2020, he has scored 2915 runs at an average of 35 and a staggering strike rate of 157 runs per 100 balls. This includes two centuries and 16 half-centuries in 93 innings.

Most recently, Hales also took part in the BBL and PSL. He scored 383 runs at an average of 32 and a strike rate of 148 in the BBL and 255 runs at an average of 43 and a strike rate of 156 in the PSL. Despite being out of favor with the national side, Hales continues to prove his worth in various T20 leagues across the globe.

If he is the first-choice opener, KKR's most probable top order would be Alex Hales, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (C), Nitish Rana, Sheldon Jackson (wk), Andre Russell, Pat Cummins and Sunil Narine (floater).