IPL 2015: Underperformance by Indian batsmen proves costly for KKR

KKR failed to make the playoffs this IPL season

After winning a couple of games in the first leg of the Indian Premier League in 2014, Kolkata Knight Riders had staged a kind of comeback, the story of which could have easily made its entry into the script houses of a Bollywood movie.

On the brink of an early exit from the tournament, Gautam Gambhir’s boys sparked a turnaround which may be seen as a fine display of their never-say-die attitude, winning 9 matches in a row to clinch their second title in two years.

Needing to win at least 5 of their 7 games after the league shifted back to India from the United Arab Emirates, the franchise showed adequate grit and determination as they piled on consecutive victories, marching on towards the finals in Bangalore.

Much was expected, then, of the defending champions in the 2015 edition of the lucrative T20 league. In a tough and competitive league, KKR enjoyed the privilege of being league toppers for a short duration after a winning streak of 3 matches. With 7 wins and a point from a washout against their name, a win in either of their last 2 games, against Mumbai Indians or Rajasthan Royals, would have ensured a smooth passage into the top 4.

Plagued by errors in team selection and unable to cross the line on both occasions, the Knights saw themselves being knocked out of the tournament with 15 points as Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and RR eventually finished in the top half of the table.

Here’s a look at how the 47-day league panned out for the team from Kolkata:

Positives

Spinning it KKR’s way

The KKR management roped in 44-year-old Australian Brad Hogg during the auctions held in February as a backup option for West Indian off-spinner Sunil Narine, who was under threat for a suspect action.

The mystery spinner, who was given the green signal by the BCCI after passing the bowling tests in Chennai before the tournament started, looked a pale shadow of his former self picking up only 7 wickets in 8 games, going at almost 7.3 runs per over. He was absent for 4 games in the middle of the tournament after the umpires banned him from bowling his stock delivery, the off-spinner, reporting him during the game with Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Brad Hogg delivered for KKR when needed

However, his absence was barely felt as the slower bowlers in the KKR lineup snarled up 34 wickets in the 13 games played, breaking partnerships at regular intervals as well as checking the flow of runs.

Playing 4 specialist spinners at Eden Gardens, a pitch traditionally known to assist the slower bowlers, shows the belief that Gambhir had in the spin bowling attack led by Hogg, also comprising Piyush Chawla, Johan Botha, Shakib Al Hasan and newcomer KC Cariappa.

The spinners cleverly managed to deceive the batsmen with considerable turn and bounce, ensuring that KKR won 5 of their 6 games played at their home turf this season.

Andre Russel - the most consistent performer

Muscleman Andre Russel turned out to be one of the most vital match winners for KKR, chipping in with all-round performances on a consistent basis. Scoring 330 runs at an impressive strike rate of 161.34, the West Indian also picked up 14 wickets in 13 games. The 27-year-old, who was in and out of the team last year, picked up three Man of the Match awards and can safely be called the best player for KKR this season.

Yusuf Pathan has a consistent tournament after 4 years

Attacking batsman Yusuf Pathan, more in the news for his lack of runs in his last 4 years with KKR, scored 312 runs in 12 games at a strike rate of 129.6. Unlike the previous seasons where the Baroda batsman would look to go over the top at every given opportunity, Pathan rather looked to play with maturity, giving adequate support to the other batsmen at the crease this season.

“This time around I have tried to tone down my attacking instinct where I would go over the top from ball one preferring instead to support the other player and stay at the crease if he is timing the ball well.”

His whirlwind knock of 42 in 24 balls against Punjab helped KKR cross the line after they were struggling at 69/3, chasing Kings XI Punjab’s 183.

Even in the must-win game against MI, Pathan held the innings together, scoring 52 in 37 deliveries before getting out with the team needing 12 in 6 deliveries, trying to loft a Pollard delivery for a maximum.

He may not have set the IPL on fire, but it is fair to say that he and Russell were the only two reliable batsmen in an otherwise ordinary KKR middle-order.

Umesh Yadav swings it his way

In a bowling attack defined primarily by the performance of the spinners, Umesh Yadav was the standout bowler from the seam department, picking up 10 wickets in the tournament.

Although expensive on occasions, the Indian was a treat to the eyes when he was swinging the ball at high pace while maintaining his accuracy.

Sunil Gavaskar called his dismissal of David Warner as the “ball of the IPL” as he cleaned up the Aussie with a beautiful outswinger in SRH’s very first over at Eden Gardens.

Narrow losses and wins after collapses

Despite failing to make it to the playoffs, the Knights can take heart from the fact that most of their games were lost by narrow margins, with the opposition rarely gaining a comprehensive win over the Knights.

Chasing 199 against RR in their last must-win league game, the defending champions were in the hunt till the end, eventually falling only 9 runs short, a loss which knocked them out of the tournament.

KKR will rue the missed chances looking at the 2-run loss suffered at the hands of CSK at Chepauk and the defeat by 5 runs against Mumbai at Wankhede.

On the other hand, KKR managed to snatch victories from the jaws of defeat on more than one occasion, holding their nerves under pressure and crossing the line when a loss looked well on the cards.

The hard-fought one-wicket victory against bottom-placed Punjab at their home ground, where Narine hit the winning runs, highlights the fighting spirit of the side which remained intact this season as well.

Negatives

The failure of the Indian uncapped players

A major letdown for KKR this IPL season was the performance of two of their uncapped players - Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav.

Pandey, the hero of last year’s final, managed only 225 runs in 12 innings with a highest score of 40. With the openers not putting up consistent partnerships, the responsibility was on number 3 batsman Pandey to steady the innings, providing the platform for the pinch hitters to go for their strokes at the end of the innings.

The other uncapped player from whom much was expected was Yadav, who had a highest score of 46 in KKR’s opener against MI. Entrusted with the responsibility of the vice-captaincy, the Mumbai player scored only 157 runs in 13 innings failing to take responsibilty, instead allowing the situations to get the better of him.

His dismissal against Mumbai Indians at Wankhede where he was dismissed on the leg side with 22 needed in 18 deliveries reflected immaturity, when all he needed to do was stay at the crease and support Pathan, who was batting at the other end.

The failure of both the players often left Pathan and Russell under pressure at the fag end of the innings.

The failure of the openers to put up consistent partnerships

A major reason for the success of the team last year was Robin Uthappa, who had bagged the Orange Cap with 660 runs. Unable to replicate his performance this year and failing to provide the team with a solid opening partnership can be a major reason for the team failing to qualify for the final stages.

Unlike the consistent performances dished out by the opening pairs of Dwayne Smith and Brendan McCullum for CSK, David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan for SRH and Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli for RCB, the duo of Uthappa and Gambhir failed to notch up a single century stand with the highest partnership being 81 runs against Bangalore, with the average stand between them being 32 runs. Their failure coupled with the failure of Pandey and Yadav ultimately proved costly for the Knights.

Errors in team selection

By overanalysing the pitch and conditions on offer and not focusing on their strengths, KKR created possibly one of their biggest blunders in their last league game against RR. They dropped both Hogg and Narine, two of their most successful bowlers, for Azhar Mahmood as a result of the green tinge on offer at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Mahmood eventually proved to be the weak link for the team as he gave away 41 runs from his 3 overs.

Azhar Mahmood was brought in for a crucial game against Rajasthan Royals

Given the continuous failure of Pandey and Yadav, the management missed a trick by not sending either Russel or Pathan at number 3 throughout the season.

The ploy to send Piyush Chawla at number 4 against the Delhi Daredevils backfired, but Gambhir’s intentions of sending in a left-hander to counter the leg spinners Imran Tahir and Amit Mishra can be considered a bold move.

Underutilising Ryan ten Doeschate, possibly one of the most consistent players in various T20 leagues all over the world, and dropping the in-form Morne Morkel also proved costly.

The way ahead for KKR

The Kolkata team had looked well on course for a play-off berth with destiny being in their hands till their last league game.

Although they were playing with the same team which had won the title last year, the Knights would do well to sort out some issues before next season.

The presence of a reliable Indian batsman

KKR have emphasised more on the presence of all-rounders in their side rather than stacking their team with specialists, especially in the batting department. While having all-rounders is a major advantage in the 20-over format, KKR would do well to have a specialist Indian batsman in their ranks that would play along with Pandey and Yadav, providing the platform for the likes of Russell to fire down the order.

An Indian seamer to partner Umesh Yadav

A major reason for KKR failing to qualify was the tactical error committed by Gambhir by giving Mahmood his first match of the season in a crucial encounter.

The move was prompted by the lack of an Indian seamer in the squad, having traded Vinay Kumar to MI this year. The lack of such a bowler forced KKR to drop Narine and Hogg as Mahmood filled up the fourth foreigner’s slot.

Looking back, KKR had a season with some incredible highs and a few lows which could have been overcome if the team had managed to hold their nerve in pressure situations.