The Kolkata Knight Riders teed off their training camp at Eden Gardens with a spiritual touch, as players including Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, and coach Chandrakant Pandit garlanded the stumps and broke a coconut to start the proceedings, aiming to break their 10-year drought for an IPL trophy.
Despite a rain interruption, players like Rinku Singh, Iyer and Rana managed to get valuable time at the nets during KKR’s practice session.
Following warm-ups and a lively football session, Rinku, Iyer and Rana led the way at the nets, facing a mix of throwdowns, net bowlers and Indian bowlers.
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Rinku showcased his T20 World Cup potential with impressive batting skills, while Iyer and Rana also displayed their prowess, especially against pacers and spinners respectively. Rinku caught the eye with his power-hitting through the ‘V’ while Rana cracked a few big hits on the leg side.
Veteran batter Manish Pandey, who is coming back to KKR after having a successful first stint with the franchise, sounded optimistic about his team’s chances in the tournament.
“It’s a special feeling to come back home to Kolkata Knight Riders. This franchise has given me a lot, be it some of the memorable games, trophies. It is a special franchise and I am happy about this homecoming. Looking forward to creating some good memories again,” Pandey told reporters in Kolkata.
He spoke about Gautam Gambhir returning to the franchise as mentor. “For Gauti bhai as well, it is a homecoming and we have had some special memories together. I am here to win KKR as many matches as possible.”
He stressed upon adopting a fearless approach. “If we can adopt a fearless approach then we have all the talent and x-factor to win matches.”
The bowling line-up, including Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, and Chetan Sakariya demonstrated strength and depth, with spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Suyash Sharma focusing on accuracy over variations. Harshit and Vaibhav swung the ball both ways and troubled the batters a bit.
Former KKR captain, Gambhir, observed the session closely, engaging in discussions with coaches, raising hopes among fans for a resurgence reminiscent of KKR’s 2014 triumph under his leadership.
While some overseas players like Phil Salt participated, others including Sunil Narine, Andre Russell and captain Shreyas Iyer are set to join on Saturday, with star recruit Mitchell Starc joining the team on Sunday. Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rahmanullah Gurbaz will join the team on March 19.
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