3 things KKR need to do to return to winning ways

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have been on a rollercoaster ride over the first five games of IPL 2023. The side opened their campaign with a defeat in their first game against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) before responding sensationally with victories over the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and the Gujarat Titans (GT).

However, just as the Knight Riders were expected to take off and carry forward the winning momentum, they suffered back-to-back defeats at the hands of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and the Mumbai Indians (MI). The team has blown hot and cold at different stages, leading to them sitting in fifth place with four points from five games.

Winners of two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, KKR were dealt a cruel blow when regular skipper Shreyas Iyer was ruled out of this year's competition with a back injury. Taking over the reins from Iyer, Nitesh Rana has led the side admirably despite the inconsistencies.

Rinku Singh has been the star of the season with 174 runs at an average of 58 and a strike rate of 162. He also smashed five sixes off the last five balls of the match against the Gujarat Titans to help KKR snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

However, since that incredible victory, KKR have lost two matches in a row with plenty of holes to plug in all aspects of the game. We look at three things KKR needs to do to rediscover its winning touch.

Restrict run scoring in the powerplay

Umesh Yadav has been expensive in the powerplay for KKR this season.

The powerplay is considered one of the crucial phases of the innings, especially for the bowling team, as it helps halt the progress of the batting team. There has often been a theory that picking up three wickets inside the powerplay in a T20 often results in victory.

The Kolkata Knight Riders have been one of the most expensive sides in the powerplay overs thus far in this IPL. However, this issue is exposed even further in defeats, as they allow opponents to take the game away from them in the first six overs by conceding runs at an alarmingly high rate.

In their last two defeats against SRH and MI, the KKR bowlers have conceded an average of 69 runs in the powerplay while averaging just 1.5 wickets in that phase. This resulted in the batting team having the ideal platform to launch without the pressure of the scoring rate.

A crucial issue in the powerplay has been the worrying form of veteran pacer Umesh Yadav, bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur and New Zealand speedster Lockie Ferguson. Predominantly bowling the opening overs, all three have been expensive throughout the tournament, with a combined economy rate of 11 runs per over. They have only picked up five wickets between them thus far.

KKR may want to consider testing their bench strength by giving an opportunity to right-arm pacer Vaibhav Arora or left-arm seamer Kulwant Khejroliya in the place of Umesh Yadav. They could also bring back the experienced Tim Southee, who played the initial two matches to replace Lockie Ferguson.

Spinners taking wickets in the middle overs (Overs 7-15)

Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy's dip in form has hurt KKR in their last two matches.

The Kolkata Knight Riders bowling attack is mainly propelled by their X-factor spinners, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy. The pair were instrumental in KKR making the finals in IPL 2021. Along with the two mystery spinners, their spinning attack has also been buoyed by the addition of an impressive 19-year-old Suyash Sharma.

The troika of spinners played a vital role in the team's first win of the season against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, where they combined to pick up nine of the ten wickets. However, in their last two matches, they have struggled to pick up wickets in the middle overs, leading to the opposition scoring freely during that phase.

In their two wins, the spinners combined for eight wickets at an average of 10.5 in just the middle overs (overs 7-15) at an economy rate of 6.46 runs per over. However, in their defeats, the spinners have picked up just four wickets at a paltry average of 37.8 and an economy rate of 8.40 runs per over.

It is evident that for the Kolkata Knight Riders to get back to winning ways, their pedigreed spinners will have to come to the party in the middle phase of the innings to keep a lid on run-scoring and pick up timely wickets.

Building solid opening partnerships

Another issue that's plagued KKR in their last two defeats has been the lack of a solid opening partnership to begin their batting innings. Against both SRH and MI, KKR lost their opening wickets inside the first two overs with less than 15 runs on the board on each occasion.

The middle order has been in excellent form, with Venkatesh Iyer, Nitesh Rana, and Rinku Singh all among the runs. However, bad starts have often had the team behind the eight ball, with the middle order having to resurrect the innings.

Afghan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz started the tournament on a promising note with 99 runs in the first three matches. However, in the last two matches, he has scored just eight runs at a strike rate of 57.

Considering the team recently added explosive English opener Jason Roy to the mix, it may be worth drafting him into the playing XI by replacing Gurbaz.