Every year, plenty of A-listers end up on the playing XI for the Kolkata Knight Riders but every time that happens, they end up somehow scruffing themselves up, choking their way out of the tournament. Last year was no different. Despite having 12 points with a handful of games left to play, KKR went on a losing spree to finish outside the top four. 

After seven games, when they appointed Eoin Morgan as the new skipper, KKR were placed fourth, with four wins, needing as much in the second half of the season to go through. However, being the crazy child of the IPL family, they finished fifth, with just three wins in the second half, which eliminated them from the tournament. 

Batting

A top-heavy side, Kolkata Knight Riders have always relied on their top-order to do the bulk of the scoring - be it Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa or even Chris Lynn. Last season was no different, with Shubman Gill ending up as the leading run-scorer for the franchise, with 440 runs at an average of 33.84 and a strike-rate of 117.96. But with a loss of form for both Dinesh Karthik and Andre Russell, the franchise’s scores took a nosedive, with them scoring just 154.1 runs while batting first, on average. 

The Powerplay | Merry-go-round and a dire mess in 2020; nothing to better in 2021

391 runs in 10 games batting first in the powerplay phase; 567 in 14 games at an average of 40.5. Kolkata Knight Riders batting in the powerplay sounds like a death knell. Only one team has a record that reads worse than them, that is Chennai Super Kings. 6.5 boundaries in the powerplay on an average but, despite that, they only scored 40.5 runs per game. Kolkata Knight Riders endured one of their worst-ever starts last season, in the powerplay overs. \

Have they addressed any of the issues?

In simple terms, they haven’t quite addressed the issue. In fact, they have only further put themselves in a spot of bother. Even if they recall Rahul Tripathi at the top of the order, it statistically doesn’t solve their problems, with Tripathi averaging 16.5 with the bat in the powerplay while striking it at 113.8. The only prime solution will be to go a bit out of the box and open with Venkatesh Iyer. Now don’t be startled, he isn’t the first-choice opener and would never be for KKR in a normal time-zone but this is IPL, and KKR really don’t have an answer for their worries. 227 runs in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at an average of 75.66 and a strike-rate of 149.34, Iyer might be a good contender. 

Middle overs | Left at the mercy of the skipper 

Quite simply, they can’t. They can’t improve on this middle-order, or at least they haven’t signed anyone with a view of rehauling their middle-order.  Their issue last season was the dreaded form of Karthik and Russell. The only solution for them? Changing the setup, the order, or just playing the right batsman at the right position. 

Morgan, at 4, for instance, strikes the ball at 166.7 whereas Russell at 4 strikes it at only 161.5 averaging 25, in comparison to the 42 at No.7. That’s where KKR would have a lot of work to do, rearrange their batting order in such a way that it gets the best out of them all. Dinesh Karthik, on the other hand, at No.6 averages 50 and strikes it at 200. Last season, with the franchise shuffling their middle-order so much, like it was the price of onions, it took a toll on their middle-order runs. 

Batting at the death | Fourth-best last season but would topple those records this season

771 runs in the last five overs last season at an average of 55 runs every game, KKR had the fourth-best record last season in the league. But that’s where it gets tricky. Note it down, it came at a strike-rate of 156.71. However, 79 runs were the highest they managed in the final phase, which in comparison is the second-worst amongst the other teams. It is also integral to understand that Morgan played the majority of the games last season as the finisher, scoring 261 runs in 183 deliveries. In one game, there was Rahul Tripathi at No.8, which only shows that this isn’t an attitudinal issue but an issue of strategy. 

Last year, Russell scored just 17 runs in the last five overs at a strike-rate of 188.9. However, post that, in the Lanka Premier League, the all-rounder scored 61 runs off 29 deliveries, averaging 20 and striking at 210.3. Dinesh Karthik, who similarly started the IPL at the top of the order, in the final phase of the innings scored 106 runs off 55 deliveries, averaging 53 and striking it at 192.7. So in simple words, KKR’s death-overs batting is settled but unlike last season, they would have to move the duo of Russell and Karthik down the order and instead trust Narine in the middle-overs.

Verdict

Bowling

Even after spending Rs.15.5 crore on Pat Cummins, all that the Knight Riders could do from the last season was pick 13 wickets in the powerplay. Utter disaster, in fact, the worst in the league last year. Can it get any better? That surely would be the theme of questioning this time around too. 

Powerplay | Pat Cummins held the fort last year, this year?

In the powerplay phase last season, if you called KKR from a far distance, they wouldn’t answer. Hell, they wouldn’t even respond if the death lord was next to them. On average, they conceded 46.57 runs in the first six overs phase, picking up just 13 wickets, 0.92 per game, averaging 50.15. That’s the worst figures in the league last season, remember that. Neither did they scare nor did they strangle. If anything, they suffered. 

Since 2018, Pat Cummins has picked up nine wickets in the powerplay, out of which eight came for the Knight Riders last season, at an average of 27.4. Despite his price tag, his stature as the No.1 bowler in the longest format, Knight Riders have a big problem - he isn’t, wouldn’t and shouldn’t be the answer for everything. And neither have the others performed in the last year or the one before; all of their pacers from the last year have struggled big time. 

However, they have made some valuable signings this season, two of whom could give them a really good option in the first six overs - Harbhajan Singh and Vaibhav Arora. Now Harbhajan did miss out on last season but in the two seasons that prevailed before that, he picked up 11 wickets in the powerplay, averaging 25.1 with the ball. 

But there’s another option, one that they ignored last season - the raw pace of Lockie Ferguson. Pace enforcers really made their IPL big, Anrich Nortje was just one of them. With Ferguson still in the setup, KKR could really use him in the powerplay, with the pacer having picked up 8 wickets at an average of 15.5 and an economy rate of 7.29 in the powerplay for his national side. Or, another handy option could be Sandeep Warrier,  who picked up just three wickets for Tamil Nadu in the powerplay but ensured that the opposition had a tough time, conceding just 7.81 runs in the phase. 

Middle-overs | Varun Chakravarthy remains the ace in the pack of cards

Will Varun Chakravarthy be found out this season?

KKR, with a spin attack of Harbhajan Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Shakib Al Hasan would be aiming to get the side off to a strong start. However, the duo of Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav endured their toughest season last year, with six wickets in between them, averaging nearly 76 with the ball. 

Now, with Varun, Shakib and Harbhajan, KKR might strike gold. Last year, 37% of KKR’s wickets in the middle-overs came via Varun, who picked up 10 wickets, showing that KKR have struggled as a team barring him. However, that’s where the duo of Shakib and Harbhajan could help the franchise, especially in picking up wickets. Since 2019, Harbhajan has picked up 7 wickets in the middle-overs, at an average of 17.5, conceding just 6.39 runs per over. On the other hand, Shakib, in the same time frame, has picked up 16 wickets in the middle-overs, averaging 24.5 while conceding 6.83 runs per over. Quite simply, it might not be enough, but it will still, nevertheless, be an upgrade from last season.

Once they move out of Chennai though, the franchise would play the majority of their games in Bangalore, one of the best batting wickets in the country. At the venue, leg-spinners are the ones with the most success, which would come as a deterrent for the franchise, who don’t possess an outright leg-spinner. Fast bowlers, Chinaman and left-arm orthodox bowlers go plenty at the venue, something that might impact the franchise severely. 

Seventh-best death bowling or second-worst from last season, Kolkata really endured one of their worst bowling performances in the IPL, just behind Rajasthan Royals, who finished last. This season, they haven’t added one bowler who can improve their performance from last year, so expect nothing short of a hammering. While they did curb the economy rate, their average and wickets column still was dry. Just 28 wickets in the last five overs combined, with a season average of 25.43 certainly cost them more runs than usual. 

The death-knell of KKR’s death bowling

Their hands are also tied, especially in the death overs, with them needing a choice to make between Pat Cummins, Andre Russell, Lockie Ferguson and Kamlesh Nagarkkoti. Shivam Mavi was their most impressive bowler, picking up 3 wickets in 5 overs while conceding 43 runs. Russell, who was entrusted with the death over duty, picked up 5 wickets in 10 overs, conceding 110 runs. Lockie, who bowled 12 overs, picked only 3 wickets while their costliest bowler, Cummins, picked up the 2 wickets at the death. 

 Verdict

Overall, the Knight Riders have made some improvements on their squad from last season, especially in the bowling department, strengthening their powerplay bowling, with the likes of Harbhajan Singh, Vaibhav Arora. But, apart from that, the bowling attack still is headlined by Pat Cummins, with assistance from Andre Russell. Given that Kuldeep Yadav has had a fall in form, the franchise desperately needs their star-bowler Varun Chakravarthy to shine. Otherwise, rest-assured, they are doomed.