Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players
Problems compound for faltering KKR in IPL 2021
The CSK game was another example of how things have gone wrong for KKR. From a hopeless position of being 31 for five, they got themselves within four hits of winning the game, but had done enough mistakes in the tie to again end up on the losing side.
After opening their campaign with an impressive victory, things haven’t gone according to plan for the Kolkata Knight Riders who have now lost their last three IPL matches. After Wednesday’s defeat against Chennai Super Kings, they were placed sixth in the table, the only thing separating them from the bottom placed Punjab Kings was the net run-rate. On points the last four teams are all equal on two each.
The CSK game was another example of how things have gone wrong for KKR. From a hopeless position of being 31 for five, they got themselves within four hits of winning the game, but had done enough mistakes in the tie to again end up on the losing side.
The change in venue, from Chennai’s MS Chidambaram Stadium to Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, hasn’t brought out a change in fortunes. The team has failed to click as a unit. Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik and Pat Cummins launched a counter-attack to help them make a match of it. But, the senior pros have not been consistent. Captain Eoin Morgan’s form has been a cause of concern with 45 runs in four innings at an average of 11.25. It has affected the way he has led the side. Russell and Karthik have failed to finish matches, while Shakib Al Hasan hasn’t been able to lend solidity in the middle order. He was replaced by another left-hander, Sunil Narine, against CSK, but the Trinidadian also got out early. Opener Shubman Gill has been inconsistent as well.
Also Read | Was it Dhoni's plan to bowl Russell around his legs? MSD gives remarkable reply
When they sit down to analyse their campaign so far, KKR will point out to five bad overs in the second game against Mumbai Indians that stopped them from gaining early momentum. They had the game in their hands, and a win would have made it a start of two out of two, but they somehow self-destructed in their chase. It’s a setback they are yet to recover from.
A good bowling performance to restrict MI to 152 was backed by a brisk start to leave KKR to score just 31 runs off the last 30 balls, which became 22 off the last 18 balls, with the pair of Russell and Karthik at the crease. But, to the disbelief of their supporters, somehow KKR managed to lose by 10 runs. Karthik was not out on eight off 11 balls, a strike rate of 72.72, and Russell scored nine runs off 15 balls at a strike rate of 60.00 as KKR finished on 142 for seven. Morgan had managed seven off 7 balls, Shakib nine off 9 balls. Owner Shah Rukh Khan, who is normally encouraging of his team, apologised to the KKR fans on twitter: “Disappointing performance. to say the least @KKRiders apologies to all the fans!”
In their next game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, they again let the opposition off the hook after a dream start. Spinner Varun Chakaravarthy put the pressure on RCB with a double blow in his first over, including the wicket of captain Virat Kohli. The KKR bowlers were excellent in the first five overs, but ended up conceding 40 runs extra in the end. On the slow Chennai pitch, they allowed RCB to amass 204 for four.
Also Read | KKR captain Eoin Morgan reacts on his lack of runs in IPL 2021
Captain Morgan’s bowling changes hurt KKR. First, he took out Chakaravarthy only after one over. It took the pressure off RCB and Glenn Maxwell rebuild the innings with a calculated assault. From 9/2, Maxwell had taken the total to 148 for four in 17 overs when he got out.
In the death overs, Morgan missed a trick when he kept Russell to bowl against AB de Villiers. The RCB legend has a great record against Russell and duly took him to the cleaners during his innings of 76 off 34 balls. Russell ended up with figures of 2-0-38-0. The decision to have Harbhajan Singh bowl the 19th over also backfired as 18 runs came off it. The result: RCB got 40 runs extra on a slow pitch.
“Different circumstances, different conditions, Chennai was a completely different challenge where the bowling was actually really good, bar our last game we had there. We did three no balls and our fielding performance didn’t aid our bowlers in any way. Would have been chasing close to down to 180 would have been achievable on that wicket,” Morgan said during the post-match press conference, looking back at the game against RCB and the cost of conceding extras.
In the chase against RCB, KKR’s foreign pros Morgan and Shakib couldn’t step up. Morgan’s contribution was 29 off 23 balls (strike rate 126.08) and Shakib’s 26 off 25 balls (104.00).
After another failure against MI, Morgan defended his form. “Everything is about the process, and the process I am going through I am very positive and been here a long time now, and have been practising well. A month prior to the IPL I have been on international duty and it is a matter of time before things come together,” the KKR skipper said.
In the first game which they won against SRH, the top-order had built the platform with Nitish Rana and Rahul Tripathi laying the foundation. The two did well in their second game against RCB as well but the middle order floundered. In Wednesday’s game, it was their top-order which collapsed. KKR’s batting is simply not clicking as a unit. Morgan admitted that poor batting in the Powerplay was the difference against CSK. “(It’s about) try and find a solution and put yourself in a winning position, Karthik and Russell did that (against MI). Their partnership did really turn the momentum our way, considering the really bad start we had. Throughout the whole of the innings we were up with where CSK were in the first innings but obviously not having made the five mistakes that we had made. Considering the really bad start we had, we should be proud of the performance,” said Morgan.
The bowlers were taken to the cleaners in what was CSK’s perfect batting performance. But, they didn’t help their cause by conceding way too many extras with a tally of 10 wides and three no balls. Each no-ball means a gift of a free-hit. In comparison, CSK conceded 8 extras, 7 wides and one no ball. The inability to pick wickets cost them as the opposition started with a 115-run partnership and lost just three wickets while powering to 220.
But, Morgan refused to blame his bowlers.
“Today upon reflection after both teams had batted, I think they (bowlers) did a reasonable job. Looking at the position we were in after the Powerplay and falling only 20 runs short, you don’t need to be optimist to feel that we would have been in a really good position had we batted better at the top of the order.”
