Kallis' Knight Riders braced for life without Starc

IPL PREVIEWS: All you need to know about Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the start of the new Indian Premier League season in April

After months of boardroom plotting, weeks of speculation and a lavish auction that has become a phenomenon in itself, the wait is almost over.

The Indian Premier League gets under way in April, and it promises to be the most open in recent memory, such is the nature of the competition.

Here is all you need to know about Kolkata Knight Riders, from rising stars and the ones to watch to their title chances.

What’s their IPL pedigree?

It is easy to forget that in the early years of the IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders were underwhelming. Despite the great interest and attention from onlookers, in part due to the celebrity factor, the team finished outside the playoffs in the first three years of the tournament.

Failure was enough, and the board got to work freshening up the team and coaching staff. Kolkata won its first IPL title in 2011, and that soon became two, three years later thanks to a sumptuous performance by Manish Pandey. They have finished the last two seasons in the playoffs and will be looking to do better.

^{Robin Uthappa will be Kolkata's vice-captain}

Who’s in charge?

Jacques Kallis, who has been in charge of the team since October 2015. The South African allrounder, considered by many pundits and his peers as one of the greatest players of his generation, has yet to lead Kolkata to IPL glory but his team has run others close.

Chennai-born wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik traded in to Kolkata from Gujarat Lions in January 2018 was appointed as captain last month. Robin Uthappa will act his deputy, the other outstanding candidate for the capacity. Karthik, who has played 152 matches in the IPL, has scored over 2,000 runs for five different IPL franchises.

Who are the big names?

Bowling is a strong point for the Kolkata Knight Riders. However, after completing one of the coups of the auction by acquiring Mitchell Starc, Kolkata have been dealt a blow with the Australian being ruled out through injury. England's Tom Curran is his replacement.

Starc's compatriot and namesake Mitchell Johnson offers plenty of T20 experience. Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine are proven match winners, and given the money Kolkata have spent to prise the former – a middle-order batsman, fans should expect him to deliver.

^{Starc's injury is a major blow for the Knight Riders}

Who is the rising star?

Nitish Rana, a 24-year-old batsman, who is uncapped at international level. He represents Delhi in the Ranji Trophy, and joins Kolkata after a two-year spell at Mumbai Indians, where opportunities were hard to come by. Despite this, he had a very good T20 season for Delhi and might be the man to fill Pandey’s void.

Where is home?

Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Building work on the stadium commenced in the mid-to-late 19th century, and built in 1864, making it India’s oldest cricket ground. It first held Test cricket 70 years later when England toured the country.

During the 1980s, the stadium underwent renovation work, which saw its capacity jump to 94,000 in time for the 1987 Cricket World Cup. Today Eden Gardens is India’s largest stadium, and alongside acting as Kolkata’s IPL venue, it plays host to occasional football matches.

^{Surrey's Tom Curran was signed as a replacement player}

What chance do they have this year?

Unlike their rivals, Kolkata Knight Riders were not frivolous in the auction. Their squad list is 19 players strong, six less than the maximum competition regulators would permit. There could be method to their madness; they have a robust batting order with pace all over the side. A thin squad will no doubt be tested in the playoffs.

Squad: Dinesh Karthik (C), Robin Uthappa (VC), Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Chris Lynn, Kuldeep Singh Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Nitish Rana, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Mitchell Johnson, Shubman Gill, Ranganath Vinay Kumar, Rinku Singh, Cameron Delport, Javon Searless, Apoorv Vijay Wankhade and Ishank Jaggi, Tom Curran.

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