At the start of IPL 2024, few experts, if any, were certain of KKR making the playoffs, let alone of winning the tournament as dominantly as they did. CSK, MI, RR and even RCB seemed better teams on paper. How KKR turned the tables not only on them, but also the other surprise package of the season, SRH, is a case study in astute planning and precise execution.
My Kolkata analyses how KKR scripted its fairytale IPL season.
Smells like team spirit
KKR spent the pre-season being a team and inculcating the winning mentality. The message was simple: the team before milestones. “In this team, there is no senior, no junior, no domestic, no international. Everyone plays for the team and fights for the team and if we do, we will achieve our target,” is what Gautam Gambhir said in his very first speech as the KKR mentor a week before the team’s first game.
Most teams believe in the process, one game at a time, short targets and so on. Not KKR under GG. “Our season starts today, not a week from now against SRH, but this very moment and our target is to play and win the finals in Chennai on May 26,” the mentor had said in his speech.
Backroom brilliance
Amid the euphoria of the tournament win, the first thought on the minds of multiple KKR players was the role the support staff had played away from the public eye. “While the overseas stars have performed as expected, credit goes to Abhishek Nayar who identified Indian talents and worked behind the scenes for months to get this core together,” said Varun Chakravarthy after the final. Coach Chandrakant Pandit and assistant coach Nayar had backed the players, especially the youngsters, from the start and their faith was repaid in performance. Ramandeep Singh, relatively unknown, was assigned the vital role of a finisher and while his services were not required while chasing, he came good when the team needed a quickfire 20-odd.
The best example of the coaching unit’s positive approach was the elevation of 18-year-old Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who replaced Nitish Rana when the vice-captain got injured, to No. 3 ahead of the likes of Venkatesh Iyer and Shreyas Iyer. The choice spoke volumes about the attitude in the dugout. The confidence rubbed off on the Knights, who walked out to the middle with an air of invincibility.
Calypso duet
Everyone knew what to expect from KKR’s West Indian duo of Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, but did anyone foresee the impact Narine would have with the bat? Or the injury-prone Russell with the ball? KKR found a way to rejuvenate its tried and tested match-winners and got more out of them — and in tandem — than in any recent season.
Andre Russell and Sunil Narine celebrate the wicket of Sunrisers Hyderabad batter Abdul Samad with teammates during the fnal on May 26 PTI
While Narine swatted away the best bowlers to score 488 runs, the highest by a KKR batter this season, he also picked up 17 wickets. Russell, on the other hand, muscled his way to 222 runs and took 18 wickets, including three in the final. After 12 and 10 years with KKR, respectively, when Narine and Russell found another gear to their game, so did the team.
Mitchell Starc magic
The big bucks that KKR spent on Mitchell Starc seemed to defy logic given that he had not played IPL for eight years. The worst suspicions seemed confirmed when he leaked almost 50 runs in his first four overs. Even at the Eden Gardens, he was subjected to the choicest abuse. The Aussie’s season seemed to be going the Hardik Pandya way. But KKR did not lose faith in his ability and played him back to form. He was back to his best in time for the play-offs and delivered Man of the Match performances in both Qualifier 1 and the Final.
The Iyer factor
Shreyas Iyer lost his national team contract but kept a cool enough head to lead KKR effectively, making fantastic bowling changes not just based on match-ups but also his instincts. With bat in hand, Shreyas did not lose his wicket once in chase. The other Iyer, Venkatesh, also came good, having been retained and backed by the franchise. The lanky all-rounder from MP stood tall when KKR needed him in a low-scorer in Mumbai, helping KKR to their first win at Wankhede since 2012, and more importantly, scored back-to-back fifties in the playoffs against SRH.
Overseas keepers of the faith
Despite Rahmanullah Gurbaz having a good season last year, Phil Salt was bought at the auction and picked to start ahead of the Afghan. He performed with both bat and gloves, scoring 435 runs in 12 games at the top of KKR’s batting order before heading home to England. Having warmed the bench all season, Gurbaz was called upon to pick up from where Salt had left off. The way Gurbaz tackled the pressure of the big games showed not just how good he is but also how the KKR management ensured every player was ready to go when needed.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz in action during the final clash between the Knights and Sunrisers PTI
The other pacers…
KKR started the season with no big name Indian quick to partner Aussie tearaway Starc. By the end of the season, Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana had made a name for themselves, thanks in no small measure to bowling coach Bharat Arun. Vaibhav with his swing picked up early wickets even when Starc did not. The ball that dismissed the red-hot Travis Head for a golden duck in the final will be etched in the hearts of the KKR fans. Harshit was in his elements at the death, starting the season by defending 13 runs in the last over against SRH. He went on to defend 22 against MI at Eden in the last over and bowled a wicket maiden in the final.
Mitchell Starc and the Knights celebrate the dismissal of Travis Head at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium PTI
… And the spin twins
Chakravarthy did not start well but as the tournament progressed, he bowled well in tandem with Narine. While the Caribbean kept things tight with an economy rate of 6.69, Chakravarthy prized out 21 wickets — the highest in the season by a spinner. In the rain-curtailed 16-over match against MI at Eden, only one bowler was allowed to bowl 4 overs. With Narine getting hammered, the skipper chose Chakravarthy over him to bowl the fourth over.
He ended the spell with 2/17 and an economy of 4.20. These are the kind of performances that win tournaments. If the mystery spinners did not complement each other so well and step up when their partner could not, the KKR score sheets would have looked very different.
Identifying roles, adapting to situations
A team is a jigsaw that needs the pieces to be placed just right. When KKR chose Narine to open the batting and told him that they did not expect him to perform in every game, only win a match or two, the Caribbean allrounder took on the challenge with minimal pressure and a free mind. The results showed. Similarly when Shreyas Iyer curbed his instincts to provide stability at No. 4, the team flourished.
Giving Vaibhav the new ball, Harshit the last over, Ramandeep the role of a finisher after Rinku and Russell, Venkatesh Iyer of the floater, and Russell of a partnership breaker — inspired choices defined KKR’s season. The roles were assigned before the tournament began and the team did not stray from the plan. It was always Plan A, and never Plan B, which provided clarity. But the team did not shy away from adapting to the situation either. The best example is the use of Manish Pandey in the game in Mumbai where KKR were reduced to 51-5 after the powerplay. Pandey brought his experience to the fore and performed when required.
KKR to pull off possibly the greatest team performance in IPL history emerging champions for the third time PTI
The players were placed just right for KKR to pull off possibly the greatest team performance in IPL history. Too bad that the IPL mega auction next year will not allow an encore.
