Three defeats in five matches have triggered some questions in the Kolkata Knight Riders camp.
Unless the two-time champions come up with a definite plan to counter their listless bowling, they stand the risk of falling behind in the race to make the playoffs.
The euphoria over Rinku Singh’s exploits in Ahmedabad faded following two consecutive hammerings, against Sunrisers Hyderadad at home and Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede. The team has been found short of a Plan B when the opposition batters ran riot against a predictable bowling line-up.
Nitish Rana’s men face bottom-placed Delhi Capitals in their next match at the Kotla on Wednesday, knowing well that another debacle could spell trouble. While other teams have bounced back from the early jitters, the Knight Riders have found new means to slip after a good start.
Andre Russell. Picture courtesy IPL & PTI
For a team so dependant on foreigners, KKR’s selection of their four recruits was always going to be decisive. Their West Indian duo of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine haven’t been inspirational and the urgency to fit them into the XI has let the team down.
Similarly, Rahmanullah Gurbaz has failed to deliver after the first couple of matches while the likes of Jason Roy and Litton Das have warmed the benches.
None except for Venkatesh Iyer has been consistent in the top order leading to enormous pressure on the middle-order. Narayan Jagadeesan has been found wanting against top quality bowling and moving Venkatesh up the order could provide a quick-fix solution.
Only Venkatesh and Russell scored at a strike rate of around 200 against Mumbai Indians with 125 runs coming off 62 balls. The rest of the batters contributed only 46 off 58 balls. This disparity affected their overall score.
But Russell’s bowling hasn’t been effective, the three wickets at Eden Gardens on Friday notwithstanding. It hardly affected the Sunrisers’ flow of runs as Harry Brook ran riot.
Will Russell as an impact batter be more effective? The rules state that if a team starts with three or fewer overseas players in their XI, then they can bring in a foreigner as the impact player. But can KKR afford such luxury?
Russell is known to excel as a finisher, and if he can perform his role to perfection, it will help KKR enormously.
The success rate of Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, the two mystery spinners, also needs careful examination. Varun is the most successful with seven wickets at an economy rate of 8.32. But his performances in the last three matches against Mumbai Indians (1/38), Sunrisers (1/41) and Gujarat Titans (0/27 off 2 overs) have been insipid.
Narine’s case has been curious. He excelled against RCB (2/16) and Gujarat Titans (3/33) but has failed to reinvent his guile in other matches. Over the years, the off-spinner has traditionally excelled at Eden Gardens.
If KKR are to make a splash, they need to put a leash on the bowlers’ profligacy. Else they will suffer.
