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Heath Streak, the Zimbabwe coach, will return to the IPL after being appointed bowling coach of Kolkata Knight Riders. Streak joins Simon Katich and Jacques Kallis in KKR's backroom staff, and replaces Laxmipathy Balaji, who has taken up a similar role with Chennai Super Kings. Streak was previously bowling coach of Gujarat Lions in 2016 and 2017, the experience of which he feels would come in handy as he teams up with former Lions player and current KKR captain Dinesh Karthik. "DK is a lovely guy and he's got a very astute cricket brain," Streak told Sportstar. "He is a very open-minded guy, and is open to listening. The best thing is he loves the game, loves talking about it and he was a good friend in the two years we had spent at Gujarat Lions." Streak was also "excited" to work with India's Under-19 fast bowlers Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi and hoped to ease their transition into the big leagues. "They really look technically sound, so for me, it is about giving them good tactical support and helping them out," Streak said. "Playing at the U-19 World Cup is very different from playing in the IPL against highly-experienced players. "They have got the skills and resources to be able to do that; it's just helping them make smart decisions, especially under pressure. That's what it is all about -- playing in the big league." KKR, however, have other questions to address, like the fitness concerns over Andre Russell and Chris Lynn. Russell left his PSL duties for Islamabad United midway after suffering a hamstring injury, while Lynn's dislocated right shoulder - suffered while fielding in the T20I tri-series final - ruled him out out the PSL completely. ESPNcricinfo understands that KKR's management are fully confident of the full availability of these two players come April 7. Another concern for KKR from the PSL was the reporting of Sunil Narine's bowling action. In the past, Narine has been reported in the IPL as well and his offbreaks were banned by the BCCI in IPL 2015. The latest report, however, does not affect Narine's bowling in the IPL immediately, unless he is called for a second time in the PSL, or CWI runs tests that find his action to be illegal.
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