Asia

KKR’s transformation: From ‘afraid to paralyzed’ to taking the bull by the horns

October 12, 2021
Henry Club

It’s fair to assume that not many would have predicted Kolkata Knight Riders to be in the position they are now – one win away from the title clash – when the UAE leg of the Indian Premier League began a little more than three weeks ago. Was. .

Five losses in seven matches during the Indian summer pushed them to seventh on the table, and inspired the head coach Brendon McCullum To punish his players for being “a little paralyzed by fear”.

McCullum and KKR captain Eoin Morgan made a name for themselves by playing fearless cricket, also a feature of the teams they led. But turning words into action is easier said than done.

However, what has happened in the Arabian desert over the past few weeks is a change in the way the team plays. Results are not always an accurate measure of change, but in this case tell the story.

Five victories in their next seven appearances propelled KKR to fourth place in the playoffs – Mumbai Indians’ sudden drop in fortunes certainly helped them – and after defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore in the eliminator, they are now to be booked. Delhi Capitals will have to overtake Chennai Super Kings to make it into Friday’s final and have a shot at their third IPL title.

no superstar

A look at the KKR team reveals that there are no megastars out there. Not many people might have heard of Venkatesh Iyer before the UAE leg of the tournament, but he has turned into a revelation. His opening combination with Shubman Gill has been one of the main reasons for the turnaround. World Cup-winning captain Morgan himself lacks runs but his strategy, big game experience and persuasive skills often give KKR the edge. Their foreign players are not symbols, but are essentially utility men who can do the job in given conditions. So KKR’s overseas squad has more rotation than other teams.

It also ensures that the side is not dependent on a few players. His highest run scorer this season is Rahul Tripathi, who has scored 383 runs, and is the 12th highest overall. Varun Chakravarthy is KKR’s leading wicket-taker with 16 wickets and comes in 10th position. This is in stark contrast to the case of Punjab Kings and RCB, for whom KL Rahul And Glen Maxwell respectively have been the main contributors so far.

no fixed pattern

The team is really a star with KKR. So, in Eliminator against RCB, Sunil Narine is promoted up the batting order after a brilliant spell with the ball and his cameo tilts the balance in their favour. Nitish Rana is not a big name, but he has been sent to the crucial number 3 slot.

With a bowling stock plentiful of spin and fast bowling resources, Morgan has the luxury of matching them with match conditions and the batsmen in between. Shakib Al Hasan is one of the leading all-rounders in world cricket but doesn’t always play with KKR. When he played in Eliminator, the Bangladesh star took the team home in a tense situation.

All these factors have ensured that KKR does not feel the absence of Andre Russell, who has missed out on several matches in the past. In the last season, the team relied heavily on West Indies for batting pace. In games played before he was injured, he was given the responsibility of bowling the full quota of overs, and often at the death.
But the likes of Lockie Ferguson and Tim Southee, and the famous Krishna and Shivam Mavi among Indians, have risen to the occasion.

respect too

KKR and DC have registered a one-on-one win each this season, but the Kolkata franchise won the most recent encounter, where sparks were ignited between Morgan and KKR. Ravichandran Ashwin The latter on a vague sense of cricket after taking a run despite hitting a throw to his batting partner.

Delhi top the league stage but have lost their last two matches, while Kolkata have won their last two matches.
Capitals’ pace attack is commendable but they could not stop RCB and CSK from winning the last over. Steve Smith rare in their appearances and Marcus Stoinis The injury has left most of the UAE’s leg missing. His batting is largely built around Indian talent- Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant — but leans towards the lower-middle order.

As far as strategy is concerned, with a young captain in Pant, it is a matter of the head coach Ricky Ponting Pulling wire from dugout.

The venue is the same as that for the Eliminator and KKR’s last league match, which should give them confidence. It is worth mentioning that a fortnight ago, when both the teams were face to face, they defeated DC there. The pitch there is not the smoothest and their spin trio will hope to take advantage of it.

Kolkata is currently in a festive mood with Durga Puja celebrations. If KKR wins on Wednesday, they will ensure that fans in the City of Joy will have something more to watch on Friday, which also happens to be Vijayadashami.

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