IPL 2018: 5 reasons why KKR is not ‘Taiyaar’ to make it to the playoffs

After Gautam Gambhir’s exit from the Kolkata Knight Riders’ squad, there were a lot of speculations as to who will the void. While in-form Dinesh Karthik was chosen to lead the franchise going into the eleventh edition of the IPL, the squad depth and injury concern to marquee overseas players had raised a few concerns for the two-time champions. In the six matches so far, the team has won three and lost three games.

While KKR is placed in the top four at the moment, it is because of these reasons that they won’t make it to the playoffs this year.

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#5 Injury Woes

Even before the tournament began, Chris Lynn and Andre Russell’s fitness was a big concern for the management. Losing the services of Mitchell Starc and Kamlesh Nagarkoti has made matters worse as the backbone of the pace bowling department has been broken. As for Lynn and Russell, they both have been featuring in the playing XI but it is evident that they are not 100% match fit. In the previous game against Kings XI Punjab, Russell didn’t complete his second over due to a strain. Would he be available for the next games or would he just bat for the remainder of the tournament, there are too many questions that are unanswered at the moment.

#4 Inconsistent Batting

Nitish Rana has been the most consistent batsman for KKR so far

With Lynn and Sunil Narine opening the batting, there are doubts that the two can give consistent starts throughout the tournament. An early wicket puts pressure on Robin Uthappa and Nitish Rana to perform every time they come to bat. In case Russell is also ruled out due to injury, there will be a huge gap in the middle order. Karthik will also have to use Shubman Gill in a better position as the youngster has failed to accelerate at the death. The problem is that the bench strength isn’t as strong as they would have liked in order to make those changes.

#3 Lack of squad depth

KKR needs their A-team for their remaining matches

KKR has only 19 players in their squad which is the lowest as compared to other teams. While Starc and Nagarkoti have already been ruled out of the tournament, there are not enough like for like substitutes in the squad. The team has only seven overseas players – Andre Russell, Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Mitchell Johnson, Tom Curran, Cameron Delport and Javon Searles. Out of these, Lynn and Russell are still recuperating while Curran, Delport, and Searles are making their IPL debut this season. The youngsters as well as overseas players are inexperienced and might not be able to deliver under pressure.

#2 Inexperienced Captain

Dinesh Karthik has been consistent with the bat but not his captaincy

Dinesh Karthik has been magnificent with the bat. As far as captaincy is concerned, he led Delhi Daredevils on six occasions in 2010 and 2014. The team won only two games under his captaincy. At present, Karthik has a 50% win rate in the same number of games for KKR. Even if he is able to maintain the same win percentage for the remaining matches, the team will only acquire 14 points and it is unlikely that they’ll make the cut. Karthik relies more on his gut feeling rather than implementing the tactical plans. While the unpredictable nature of his gambles might pay off at times, it is unlikely that they will help the team get crucial points. Karthik needs to use the available options in a better way rather than coming up with impromptu decisions.

#1 Weak Bowling

Spinners have taken 23 wickets while pacers have picked up 12

In the previous editions, KKR has been a force to reckon with owing to their bowling prowess. While Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla, and Sunil Narine have held it tight in the spin department, the seamers are leaking runs at crucial stages. KKR has not been able to get their combinations right on several occasions and the pacers have failed to cause an impact. Despite scoring more than 190 runs on two occasions, the team has failed to defend the score. Youngster Shivam Mavi’s bowling speed has been impressive but he lacks experience at the big stage. The team management needs to plug those gaps in order to make any progress in the tournament.