The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) reigned as champions, finishing at the top of the league table with nine victories, three defeats, and two washouts. In Qualifier 1, they emerged victorious against Sunrisers Hyderabad before ultimately securing their third IPL title with an impressive performance from Mitchell Starc in the final.
The arrival of Ajinkya Rahane as the new captain sees him taking over one of the vacancies left by departing players Shreyas Iyer and Nitish Rana. Meanwhile, Quinton de Kock’s addition will serve as a top-notch replacement for former player Phil Salt. The depth in overseas options appears promising with Rahmanullah Gurbaz on standby as an opener, and recent acquisitions Moeen Ali and Rovman Powell adding depth and adaptability to the team.
Starc has a suitable replacement in Australia’s left-arm swing bowler Spencer Johnson, who joined Gujarat Titans in the previous IPL season. As for the overseas seamer position, Anrich Nortje brings more experience to the role.
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Even outside of the game, there’s a fresh appearance. Gambhir’s team has been replaced, with Bravo and Gibson now serving as mentor and assistant coach. Rahane is reunited with his former domestic cricket coach, Chandrakant Pandit.
KKR, boasting Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, and Andre Russell in their lower middle order, continue to hold their title as one of the most formidable teams in the death overs. It is anticipated that Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana will continue to excel with the ball, drawing on their recent success in international matches.
The top pick is most likely XII.
The players in the line-up for today’s match are Sunil Narine, Quinton de Kock as wicketkeeper, Ajinkya Rahane leading the team, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, and all-rounder Andre Russell. The remaining positions will be filled by Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, and either Spencer Johnson or Anrich Nortje. Varun Chakravarthy and Vaibhav Arora complete the squad.
Will Ajinkya Rahane bring his impressive performance from the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in December to the upcoming IPL 2023 season? His high ranking as the top scorer and excellent strike-rate of 164.56 caught attention. Known for his solid contributions between the openers and middle order while playing for Chennai Super Kings, KKR hopes to see this same version of Rahane in action this year.
Not in top form, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell enter the tournament with lackluster batting displays during the ILT20 in January-February. In addition, Narine has failed to take any wickets in six of his last ten T20 matches, though he only gave up more than 24 runs four times. KKR has kept the two experienced 36-year-olds on their roster and have faith that they will perform when it counts. However, is it sustainable for them to continue delivering season after season?
Luvnith Sisodia, a wicketkeeper-batter hailing from Karnataka, may serve as an unexpected choice at the top. This would open up opportunities for Moeen or Powell to join the team. KKR has taken risks in the past by selecting promising domestic players, and Sisodia proved his talent with an impressive performance for semi-finalists Gulbarga Mystics in the Maharaja T20 Trophy.
Important statistics
In the previous season, Andre Russell was an exceptional performer on the field, claiming a total of 19 wickets in just 29.2 overs with a remarkable strike rate of 9.2. However, in the 66.5 overs he has bowled during T20s after IPL 2024, his performance has decreased with only 17 wickets and a higher strike rate of 23.5. With Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora leading the Indian fast bowling attack, Spencer Johnson lacking experience and Anrich Nortje coming back from injury, Russell will need to step up his game significantly.
In the IPL 2024, KKR showcased the strongest spin attack by a significant margin. This impressive feat has been maintained as they head into the upcoming season, 2025. With a total of 38 wickets taken, they outpaced the second-ranked team by eight wickets. In addition, they had an outstanding average of 23.18, far surpassing all other teams. Though their economy rate of 7.68 was slightly behind that of Chennai Super Kings’ spinners, it remains one of the top rates in the league.
In three IPL seasons, Quinton de Kock has accumulated over 500 runs each time. His team has consistently made it to the playoffs, with Mumbai Indians emerging as champions in both 2019 and 2020. However, his performance in IPL 2024 was his lowest since 2014, as he only managed to score 250 runs in 11 matches for Lucknow Super Giants, at an average of 22.72.
A completely healthy Nortje is capable of bowling at high speeds, reaching the 140s (kph). However, he recently returned from a back injury, causing him to miss out on both the SA20 and Champions Trophy tournaments. His last match was in December 2024.
In addition, Umran Malik has been sidelined due to a hip injury. Therefore, Chetan Sakariya has stepped in as his replacement.
