This season, teams avoiding tight finishes

Four years in the IPL have taught me that the difference in skills between the franchises is less than 5%, 10% at the most. Jacques Kallis writes.

Four years in the IPL have taught me that the difference in skills between the franchises is less than 5%, 10% at the most.

Chennai-Super-Kings-players-celebrate-after-they-won-match-against-Royal-Challengers-Bangalore-during-the-IPL-5-match-at-MA-Chidambaram-stadium-in-Chennai-PTI-Photo-R-Senthil-Kumar

That has been proven by the number of close finishes in the years gone by, but things may be changing now. Sure, there have been some thrilling, last-over games, but a lot more matches have been one-sided than we have been used to.

Changing attitudes
There may be two reasons for this: first, a change in attitude amongst many teams. Instead of assuming that matches will be tight, they are planning to take games away from the opposition before the 'tight' situation arises. That can backfire, of course, which still means it’s not close!

The second reason may have something to do with the increasingly extreme attention to detail that teams (and their backroom staff) are paying to opposition players and their own tactics.

Get your man
It goes without saying that dismissing Chris Gayle for nothing shapes the result of a game against the Royal Challengers. Maybe we just got lucky.

Or maybe that was part of our plan?

Kolkata Knight Riders needed the last win. Three losses would have been hard to accept. But another win now and we'll be right back in the hunting pack. You’ve always got a chance if you're in the pack.

The South african international plays for KKR. Hawkeye Communications.