“Andre Russell has been a flag-bearer of this franchise,” Nayar said. “So over the years, what he’s done in T20 cricket, I think it’s going to be hard to replicate it. It’s a season of opportunities. Yes, you had a few misses with the bowling.”

“You’ll have Rinku, Raman do something they’ve done before. It’s not something they haven’t done for this franchise. But yes, there’s always this pressure to play the IPL.

“Obviously, we expect every player to sort of be true to their potential and try and make sure they can make a name for themselves. But having said that, these are opportunities created for a lot of young cricketers in our set-up, who can sort of put their name there in this franchise legacy and then create their own brand name.

“Rinku started for India for many years. Raman started for us in the season that we won the championship. So we’re very hopeful that they can replicate the performances and use this opportunity to create something special for themselves and this franchise.”

“The beauty of this KKR squad is the amount of incredible world-class options that we do have,” Watson said. “Where they all fit in, that’s going to be the ultimate challenge for the leaders of this organisation. To be able to try and get those combinations as right as we possibly can from game one. And then make the little adjustments that need to be throughout the tournament as well.

“Obviously, with Cameron Green, the quality of his cricket as an allrounder… Wherever he gets the opportunity, I know he’ll really be wanting to make the most of that.”

“When you’re playing at Eden [Gardens], you need 20-30 [extra] in every chase,” Nayar said. “Because every bowler tends to bowl there. It’s not an easy place to bowl. But having said that, we also have a very strong spin department.

“So we’re hopeful we can moneyball our way through this. Because, like I said, it’s a game of cricket. Once you enter T20, it doesn’t matter how big or small your team is. You can make an impact. So it’s still hopeful that our bowling unit will not require those 20-30 extra runs.”

Watson: Don’t need to take ‘over-the-top risks’

The IPL has already been seeing scoring rates touch new highs in the last few seasons and the recent T20 World Cup also showcased a new level of batting intensity, especially on the flatter pitches. Overall, 14 200-plus totals were scored in the World Cup, a clear increase from previous editions. While the emphasis on high strike rates has never been greater, Watson said that adaptability remains the key to success.

“A big part of it comes down to the conditions and the calibre of players you have,” Watson said. “It’s something we saw even last season with Sunrisers [Hyderabad]. Their conditions changed a bit at their home ground, but they still tried to bat the way they did and get 250-260 runs. That made it more challenging and higher risk than it really needed to be.

“Cricket hasn’t evolved that much. Yes, there’s more high risk from a few batters in particular, but from a batting perspective, you have to assess the conditions. You have to make the most of understanding what you can do to score as quickly as possible, while not taking over-the-top risks when you don’t need to.

“But there’s no question that the calibre of batters we have in our team means that if they have a really good day in the right conditions, they can push the limits and challenge the highest scorers. In the end, though, you want a batting unit that bats at its very best throughout the order and finds ways to score that one extra run against the opposition.”