IPL 2014: 3 things that KKR need to do better

Though KKR stand 4th on the points table, they haven't had the best start to the season and here are a few things that they can change.

#1 The batting order

In the 3 of the 5 games so far, KKR have opened with Gambhir & Kallis which seems to be a tactial mistake in quite a few ways. First of all, it looks like one anchor too many at the top together; secondly, it leaves the KKR middle order full with players like Bisla, Pandey, Pathan who don't inspire much confidence and then it does add extra bit of pressure on the middle/lower middle order to accelerate quite a bit more.

An ideal scenario for them would be to ensure that either of Gambhir or Kallis stay in the middle through the innings preferably post the first 6 overs and that they don't bat together. This should provide an opportunity for guys like Pandey, Bisla, Uthappa, Pathan to gung-ho around them and bat aggressively which they are well suited to.

#2 Utilizing players

Another failure of KKR this season has been man management, they have been a bit too rigid in the format that demands fluidity.

Despite showing his batting capabilities, Suryakumar Yadav continued to come in at No. 7 except that last game where he was promoted to No. 5. With the talent that he has and the consistency with which he is scoring runs, he needs to face more deliveries than what he is doing now.

For a player who is used to opening the innings, it isn't that easy to come in towards the fag end of the innings and accelerate from the word go. But then somehow Robin Uthappa is stuck in the middle/lower middle order of KKR which is stacked with players who are comfortable in batting at the top, and so far he has stuggled in this particular role.He has been able to manage an average of 19.4 witha strike rate of 108,both of which are his second worst figures in 7 seasons of IPL.They may want to offer him at least a couple of chances to bat in the top 3, spend some time in the middle and get back to batting aggressively.

Another miss has been Yusuf Pathan whom I agree is in dismal form. But then the guy had managed to get in a decent average of 30+ just in the last season of IPL which was his 2nd highest in the 7 seasons.They may wantto try and open the innings with Pathan at least in a couple of games;he should be able to set the tone with even a quickfire 15-20. The field restrictions in the powerplay overs do offer plenty of leeway for mishits and maybe that is something that this guy needs before he starts connecting properly.

#3 Picking the four internationals

KKR has a good stock of international players like Kallis, Morkel, Narine, Lynn, Shakib, Cummins, etc. and they will need to be a bit more flexible in picking players for the 4 available slots. So far Kallis, Narine & Morkel have featured in all 5 games where as Shakib and Lynn have got 3 and 2 games respectively.

Speaking of their performance, Narine has been exceptional so far managing to keep the runs down while picking up wickets. Morkel has looked fiery in patches but he has so far bowled 20 overs, for 157 runs and 5 wickets, which do look a bit average. Kallis on the other hand hasn't been that threatening with the bowl but he has managed to offer some stability to KKR batting.

Shakib has been putting in decent performances so far with both bat and bowl and Chris Lynn has put on display his batting and fielding capabilities and definitely deserves full credit for oneof the two wins KKR have managed so far.

Going forward, the only player that deserves a slot to be blocked for him is Sunil Narine. With the remaining 3 slots though, KKR need to be a bit more flexible and choose based on match conditions and squad requirements for that particular game. For the 2nd slot, Chris Lynn might be the ideal person as he can bat in the middle order and provide solidity cum acceleration in the latter half of the innings.

3rd slot should be filled in by a genuine all-rounder in the form of Kallis, Shakib or Ryan Ten Doeschate based on the conditions and requirements as to whether they need an extra pacer or spinner or need more contribution with the bat. If Kallis is asked to bat in the middle order, they can accommodate another all-rounder while leaving out Lynn.

For the 4th slot, it should a choice between Morkel & Cummins both of whom are capable of bowling at a good pace and providing a burst of aggressive bowling at the top.

I hope that KKR get their campaign going and put in some consistently good performances.