IPL 2021: 3 Changes Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) should make to get back to winning ways

Kolkata Knight Riders have changed their fortunes in the second phase of the Indian Premier League, after their substandard first phase. With the addition of their new all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer and a better performance of the unit than the previous phase at India, KKR has gained some momentum in the UAE.

The Knight Riders have played five matches in the UAE and won three out of them, beating the big guns like Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals. But they have lost against Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings.

The Kolkata-based franchise has been suffering from the injuries of their star players Andre Russell and Lockie Ferguson. In one of the post-match conferences, Brendon McCullum also stated that ‘the injury concerns of Russell upsets the team’s balance’.

KKR are now currently placed number four in the table and still have two matches left against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals. These two matches will decide their fate for this season and they would contemplate bringing in the best combinations for their upcoming games.

Here are the three changes that KKR need to make to get back to winning ways:

1. Shakib Al Hasan for Tim Seifert

The Kiwi wicketkeeper-batsman, Tim Seifert played his first IPL match representing KKR against Punjab Kings, but failed to make an impact. Being a traditional top order batsman for New Zealand, he was sent to bat at number seven with just two overs remaining in the inning.

This change led to KKR losing their luxury of having an extra bowler and had to make their part time medium pacer, Venkatesh Iyer, their main bowler. This replacement hit their team combination very badly.

Shakib, being an impeccable all-rounder, could bat well in the middle overs and bowl even in powerplays and in death overs accompanying Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy. He is expected to replace Seifert to bring the balance back in the team. The KKR head coach also hinted at the inclusion of Shakib Al Hasan in the upcoming matches.