With the twelfth edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) around the corner, the Shah Rukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) began their official net sessions on Wednesday at the Jadavpur University's second campus. Under the guidance of head coach Abhishek Nayar, a plethora of cricketers was spotted gearing up for the upcoming season.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Robin Uthappa looked in a good form as he smashed the ball to almost every corner of the ground. He is one of the players who has been retained by the Kolkata franchise for this season.
At the same time, U-19 World Cup winner Shubman Gill and UP’s Rinku Singh were also seen at the training session trying out a few deliveries. Both the batsmen were seen striking the cricket ball really hard which is also a good sign for the team that has won the title twice in the past.
Here’s the video:
The Knights, led by Dinesh Karthik, will also practice at the Eden Gardens ahead of their IPL opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 24. Going by the fixtures released for the first two weeks, KKR take on Kings XI Punjab at home next on March 27.
For the past three seasons, KKR have not been able to go beyond the playoffs, losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 2 in 2018. They won the coveted crown in 2012 and 2014.
Squad: Dinesh Karthik (captain & keeper), Robin Uthappa (vice-captain), Chris Lynn, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shubman Gill, Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi, Nitish Rana, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Rinku Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Carlos Brathwaite, Lockie Ferguson, Anrich Nortje, Nikhil Naik, Harry Gurney, Prithvi Raj Yarra, Joe Denly and Shrikant Mundhe