Long after Kolkata Knight Riders packed up their practice session and dusk settled on the Eden greens, the players got into a huddle next to the nets for some last-minute team talk.
It continued for 30 minutes during which the support staff, including mentor Gautam Gambhir and coach Chandrakant Pandit, spelt out the intricacies of success. KKR’s hunt for an elusive third title has forced them to fall back on their former captain.
But has Gambhir managed to instil his magic touch in current captain Shreyas Iyer? Has Shreyas been made aware of what makes a successful IPL leader?
A new season always ushers in fresh hopes and ideas. It brings in new tactical manouverings and strategies which could pave the way for bigger achievements.
Shreyas and the Kolkata Knight Riders will have to keep that in mind. Having a two-time IPL-winning skipper alongside will always give Shreyas the confidence to handle the big moments. Mentally, he will be in a better space as he prepares to make his captaincy debut at Eden Gardens.
For Shreyas, this IPL will not just be about team goals. Personal milestones will also take centre stage as he aims to negate concerns over a back injury. A surgery had forced him to miss last season but recurring spasms have continued to bother him.
He will have to battle a robust Sunrisers Hyderabad pace attack on Saturday but Shreyas admits he’s in the “best possible shape”.
The buzz around Eden Gardens was not to be missed on Friday. KKR principal owner Shah Rukh Khan’s much-anticipated presence is sure to set the pulse racing. The team has an explosive and settled line-up in place, bolstered by the addition of their record buy Mitchell Starc.
KKR remain undecided on Venkatesh Iyer’s opening partner — Phil Salt or Rahmanullah Gurbaz, though the former has a slight edge.
Individual battles will also dominate the show — Sunrisers captain Pat Cummins against Starc: Rs 20.50 crore vs 24.75 crore.
It’s going to be “weird looking across and seeing him in the other dugout” for Cummins. “I will say this: hopefully I don’t have to face Starc because that means our batters have done quite well,” Cummins said on Friday. “It’s funny… I have been
playing with Starcy for 15 years; I can’t remember another game where I have played against him.”
How the two Australian pacers deliver in their opening bursts could shape the outcome. Starc’s ability to generate movement on docile tracks and the left-arm angle he generates always sets him apart.
Cummins will have Travis Head for company, along with Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen. The Knights will look up to Starc or their famed spin trio of Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and Suyash Sharma for the breakthroughs.
Whoever handles the pressure better will come up trumps.
