Kolkata Knight Riders

The Kolkata Knight Riders Team was bought by SRK or Shah Rukh Khan and I do not need to say anything about King Khan who is just all over Television these days riding high on the success of CHAK DE! INDIA and OM SHANTI OM..

The SRK mania still lives on and with SRK at the helm of the KKR TEAM expect some full on entertainment and if the KKR video is anything to go by ,IPL has certainly been encroached by the Bollywood bigwigs.The Kolkata team is a star studded one and with Young guns like Ishant Sharma leading the pace attack and Veterans like Sourav Ganguly slated to open the batting for the Kolkata team,Don’t be surprised if the SRK-DADA team win the IPL .


I would like to pick my Fab Five who could make a difference for their team during the 45 day extravaganza.


1.Sourav Ganguly-



Sourav Ganguly is currently the best batsmen in the world given his stupendous form in the last 16 months .Be it dust bowls or bouncy pitches ,Sourav has stamped his class and has shown his spirit of Dadagiri all over the world with renewed vigour .Although T20 could be a format that Sourav might face some snags early on ,it is not his batting quality that makes me pick him ahead of all others but it is his Leadership qualities that could prove to be a major factor swinging the balance in favour of the Kolkata Knight Riders team..His superior comeback skills is also a great quality that would get absorbed by his teammates and expect strong fightbacks from the Kolkata team even when the team is on a major backfoot.His superior understanding of cricket made the other team owners envy as the Kolkata team picked up star and efficient cricketers whose game is perfectly suited for the T20 format.Ganguly’s mental game is so superior, I find it difficult to comprehend as to how the other teams would outdo Ganguly and his team..


2.Chris Gayle-



He is the only centurion in the T20 international format of the game .He struck a whirlwind century in the first game of the T20WC 2007 and could be the dangerman and someone whom the opposition teams would go on overdrive to configure a plan for him to better understand his strengths and weaknesses.Chris Gayle is sort of a bully and his dominating presence would strike fear in any opposition camps and his strong all round play could be a major headache for the rival camps.He is also known for his GOLDEN ARM as he strikes at important junctures and it is this allround ability of his that Sourav could use to great lengths and more importantly give that added zing to the team.


3.Brendon Mccullum-




He is the most expensive player from the Black Caps and Sourav certainly is a shrewd campaigner to understand a player’s worth.The New Zealand Keeper has had a fantastic 2007 and a major pain for Australia .Brendon McCullum could come in handy in the closing stages if he doesn’t open for the Kolkata Team.As I am writing this he scored the highest score in a T20 game and proved his worth and his callous batting could spell doom for the opposition bowlers as he moves on to gear 6 from the first ball itself .Brendon McCullum is also a very good wicket keeper as he can extend the batting lineup for the Kolkata Knight Riders Team.


4.Ishant Sharma-



He is India’s great Australian discovery.He is the only bowler who swung the favour in India’s balance during the Australian Tour and his rising delivery that comes into a batsman is a major worry for the world’s greats which Ricky Ponting got a taste of.He was India’s highest wicket taker in the Australian ODI series and his ability to bowl express fast is a major bonus and he will be the bowling spearhead for the Kolkata Knight Riders Team .So expect Ishant Sharma to pose quite a lot of problems for the likes of Sachin Tendulkar or a Rahul Dravid.


5.Laxmi Ratan Shukla-



He made his debut for India at a very young age of 17 and since then Lady Luck seems to have frowned upon him .It has been 9 years since his debut and now at still a young age of 26 he could be itching to prove his value at such a stage .He has been a prolific scorer for the past 2 months and scored heavily in the run up to IPL.His Big hitting is not known to everyone and don’t be surprised if you see him scoring at breathtaking pace.He is also a good bowler and his allround abilities add an extra option for Ganguly to utilize in a tactical manner.


The Kolkata Knight Riders Squad-

Captain-Sourav Ganguly

Indian players-Ishant Sharma,Akash Chopra,Ajit Agarkar,Murali Kartik,Iqbal Abdulla,Siddharth Kaul,Cheteshwar Pujara,Yashpal Singh,Laxmi Ratan Shukla,Sourashish Lahiri,Rohan Banerjee,Debabrata Das,Wriddiman Saha.

Overseas players-Chris Gayle,Brendon McCullum,David Hussey,Shoaib Akhtar,Ricky Ponting,Umar Gul,Tatenda Taibu,Salman Butt,Mohd Hafeez.

Coach-John Buchanan.