IPL 2012 final: Kolkata Knight Riders -- How strong is their bid for a maiden IPL title?

Feroz Khan

Kolkata Knight Riders stand on the verge of clinching their first ever Indian Premier League title. Consistency has been the key to their superb show in the ongoing edition of the tournament. Led by Gautam Gambhir, the team looks confident after outmaneuvering table toppers Delhi Daredevils in the first qualifier. Also Read: Men behind KKR’s successful journey this year…» I Trump cards for CSK in the final» I Last three standing » I Sunil Narine: Kolkata’s mystery man» I IPL 5 in Pics » I IPL Controversies » I Two matches, two new heroes » I IPL Centurions » I Top performers of IPL 5 » I How Gambhir can stop CSK juggernaut» I Why is Gautam ‘Gambhir’ about winning IPL 5?» Know Your Teams: Kolkata Knight Riders» I Chennai Super Kings» We at Zeenews.com analyse what can work for and against KKR • Played: 16 • Won: 10 • Lost: 5 • No Result: 1 • IPL titles: None • Strength: Their spin attack led by Sunil Narine is their biggest strength. The West Indian recruit has trapped many a batsmen in his web of spin bowling. Rajat Bhatia too has bowled well and provided wickets at crucial times. • Weakness: Batting. Not more than often, it has been KKR’s batting that has been an area of concern. Jacques Kallis has been steady at the top but scores at a slower rate when compared with the standards of T20 cricket. Big hitting Yusuf has been a flop for them barring their last match when he scored a quick 40 helping his team to post a competitive total in the first qualifier against Delhi. What else can work against their favour is that this is going to be their first ever IPL final appearance while their opponent CSK have been a sort of regular visitors. • Key players: Gautam Gambhir, Sunil Narine • Squad: Gautam Gambhir (c), Brendon McCullum (wk), Jacques Kallis, Manoj Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan, Debabrata Das, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Rajat Bhatia, Sunil Narine, Brett Lee, Iqbal Abdulla, Chirag Jani, Iresh Saxena, Jaidev Unadkat, Manvinder Bisla, Pradeep Sangwan, Sanju Samson, Sarabjit Singh Ladda, Mohammad Shami Ahmed, Eoin Morgan, Marchant de Lange, Ryan ten Doeschate, Shakib Al Hasan.