IPL 2014: Four reasons why KKR may prevail over KXIP in the Qualifier

The inflated glamour of the Indian Premier League is infamous for eclipsing the cricketing aspect of the event, and the tournament is frequently rebuked for its financial extravaganza. Yet there are days – albeit too few and far between – when critics and aficionados are left marveling cricket and the essence of the bat-and-ball rivalry.The 67,000 odd cricket enthusiasts who assembled at the Eden Gardens on Saturday appeared nervous after the home team ended up conceding 30 runs off the last two overs propelling Sunrisers Hyderabad to a competitive target of 161 runs. What ensued thereafter was hardly anything that even the staunchest optimists had anticipated.The intimidating task of completing the victory within 15.2 overs in order to seal a No. 2 spot seemed achievable once Yusuf Pathan initiated his blitzkrieg. The Kolkata Knight Riders built on the strong foundation laid down by their openers and swept off the few minor hiccups in the middle overs en route to a magnificent victory in 14.2 overs.While it is true that the shortest format of the game dwells on fortune and uncertainties, and Kings XI Punjab are no meager challengers in the play-offs, let me enlist here four reasons why the Knights must be considered a force to reckon with in the qualifiers.

#1 The resurgence of Yusuf Pathan

After 65 innings without a half-century, Yusuf Pathan finally turned out to be the embodiment of belligerence with his lusty blows and merciless batsmanship. His 77 off 22 balls that was studded with seven sixes and five boundaries was nothing short of absolute carnage.

The mercurial maverick from Baroda,who had hitherto belied the trust imposed on him by the franchise, finally decided to seek redemption from ineffectual ordinariness. Defying the prevalent notion of his having fizzed out, Pathan reignited the inferno he has always been known for.

He set off on an uneasy note, courtesy some lackluster fielding by the Sunrisers Hyderabad fielders who gifted him generously with two lives. Relying on uninhibited muscle-power and natural brutality, Pathan atoned for dropping a dolly early on in the match as he sent Parvez Rasool to the cleaners before stealing two sixes, three boundaries and a couple off a Dale Steyn over.

Such clean hitting reminded fans of the Yusuf Pathan of yore who had exercised a pivotal role in Rajasthan Royals triumph in the inaugural IPL season. Although Pathan had exhibited some kind of form in the last few matches, the habitual sour ending of each of his innings,where he would casually throw away his wicket without so much of a qualm,prevented viewers from reckoning him with seriousness.

Kings XI Punjab had suffered the ignominy of being thrashed by nine wickets in their last encounter with KKR. A barely decent bowling line-up consisting of Sandeep Sharma, Rishi Dhawan, Parvinder Awana, Akshar Patel and a misfiring Mitchell Johnson may turn out to be a worry against the caliber of Yusuf Pathan.

Now that the brawny right-hander has timed his performance with uncharacteristic flawlessness, one may hope for some more power-hitting during the qualifiers. It remains to be seen whether his lusty strokes continue to outshine his ineptness at finding the gaps with the same efficacy.

#2 Robin Uthappa\'s incredible consistency

The chief architect behind the unfathomably brilliant winning streak of the Knight Riders has been the graceful right-hander from Coorg. With nine consecutive 40+ scores in the IPL, Robin Uthappa continues to enthrall KKR supporters and befuddle opposition skippers.

Back from his exile, Uthappa has gradually ascended the echelons of run-making ever since he has been promoted to the top order via some masterful experimentation by the KKR think-tank. The holder of the Orange Cap has been exceptionally consistent and amazingly efficient while steering his team to uninterrupted victories this season.

Not once has he looked anxious while maneuvering the ball through the gaps with one subtle twitch of the wrist. Unperturbed and unruffled, Uthappa has been elegantly effortless while harvesting the runs and clearing the fence.

He has negotiated the spinners with majestic ease on all kinds of surfaces and imposed his will on the opposition more often than not. Aided by his immaculate timing of the ball and fierce running between the wickets, the bowlers have found it difficult to get away with dot balls against him.

Last time they met, Uthappa had demonstrated exquisite straight drives and magnificently timed pulls against the likes of Sandeep Sharma and Mitchell Johnson during his 46 off 28 balls. He had been especially unforgiving on Johnson as the latter went for three consecutive boundaries and a six in a 19-run over. In addition, Uthappa had handpicked Johnson for his first boundary through midwicket and first overboundary over third-man in the match.

The extra pace and bounce offered by Johnson will certainly assist Uthappa who relies more on guiding the ball than enforcing his own musculature on it. Kings XI would have to be wary on utilizing the Australian without exposing him to Uthappas intelligent exploitation.

Although the Karnataka right-hander has regularly dwelled on flawlessness, the solitary shortcoming that has effected his dismissals has been his lack of power behind the shots. The tendency of reaping the benefits of a bowlers pace makes Uthappa prone to dismissals against slower seamers.

Evidently, he has been caught in the field off pacers like Awana whenever he has miscued his shot or got his timing inaccurate. Had he proud himself of a burly physique like Yusuf Pathan, even his mistimed edges would have flown out into the stands. However, this remains so minuscule a defect that Punjab will have to be really fortunate to accomplish the outcome.

#3 The depth in the batting order

At the beginning of the IPL season, the Knight Riders had appeared absolutely clueless and miserable as a batting unit. While the veteran South African Jacques Kallis looked out of sorts, skipper Gautam Gambhir had already registered a hat-trick of ducks within the first three matches.

Manish Pandey and Uthappa suffered from the habitual reservations after switching teams,while Yusuf seemed focused to disappoint once again. Such had been the proportions of batting woes that KKR slumped to a humiliating defeat chasing a meager 132 against the Punjab outfit in their fourth match in spite of Suryakumar Yadavs heroics lower down the order.

As the tournament returned to India, the Knights began to gather themselves while embarking on an unbeaten journey that had eluded the optimists even in their dreams. While Kallis made way for Ryan ten Doeschate, Shakib Al Hasan got the nod ahead of Chris Lynn. With Gambhir and Uthappa rediscovering their form at the top of the order, the Knights appeared well settled with the batting running as deep as No.8.

Surprisingly,Gambhir had opted for Kallis against the Kings XI in their last encounter, replacing the in-form Shakib. The plot, however, went askew as Kallis ended up conceding 17 runs in the first over itself. He particularly found himself at the receiving end of Virender Sehwags vengeance who hammered him for the solitary six during his 72 off 50 balls.

On Tuesday, it will be a huge gamble to play Kallis ahead of the former Bangladesh skipper. While Kallis has the requisite big-match experience, his inclusion may mess up the entire batting order. Manish Pandey has settled down at No. 3 after a few initial hiccups,and it will not be prudent enough to relegate him to No. 4, for Kallis, with his job of providing stability to the innings, would be hardly effective any lower than No. 3.

Yusuf has been a spectacle to watch at No. 4 in the last match. While expecting an identical innings may seem too far-fetched, the average fan does harbor faith in him for a certain cameo.

The all-rounder abilities of Shakib have been utilized to the fullest by the Kolkata franchise as the southpaw has more than once resuscitated the teams chances with his audacious pulls and wily bowling. As for the Dutchman Ten Doeschate, incredible athleticism on the field and clever manipulation of strokes consolidated his role as a floater in the batting order.

Suryakumarat No. 7 has been a revelation with his resolute spirit and valiant efforts. In their first encounter against KXIP, it was he who had almost got his team through before succumbing to Sandeep Sharma ultimately in the 18th over.

Piyush Chawla or Vinay Kumar at No. 8 offers plenty of depth, since both are known to harness the potential of scoring a necessary boundary or two. Against such a formidable batting order, any target would seem inadequate unless the Knights end up choking at the throes of victory.

#4 Gautam Gambhir and his shrewd captaincy

Even when Gautam Gambhir the batsman had failed miserably in the opening matches of the season, Gautam Gambhir the skipper had been at his wily best. He has marshaled his resources in a phenomenal fashion, picking and dropping players and harboring faith in them.

He has experimented with the batting order and promoted Robin Uthappa to the opening: a move that happened to earn rich dividends in the following matches. He has placed the right fielder at the right spot in the field,saving boundaries and pulling off spectacular catches much to the delight of the KKR aficionados.

The defining quality of Gambhirs captaincy, however, has been the way he has instilled faith in his men and exclusively selected them in the eleven against their former teams. No wonder, Piyush Chawla and Vinay Kumar havereciprocated with stellar performances against Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalorerespectively.

Therefore, by extended logic,Chawla selects himself replacing Vinayfor the first qualifier at Eden. The leg-spinner boasts of identical figures of 3/19 against KXIP in both the matches this season and would yearn to better that when they meet on Tuesday.

Sunil Narine and Morne Morkel have been instrumental in claiming regular wickets, thereby never letting the opposition to dominate. While Narine has been the pick of the bowlers with 20 scalps at a miserly economy rate that fetched him the purple cap, the latter has been effective in bowling dots early on in the innings.

With the extra bounce and pace on offer, Morkel has masterfully swung the ball away from the batsmen at a startling regularity. In fact, the last match against Sunrisers witnessed him bowling 15 dot balls at the end of three overs although he had conceded 19 by then, thanks to a number of extras.

Umesh Yadav, with his raw pace, will be vulnerable to severe exploitation by Sehwag, Glenn Maxwell and David Miller on Tuesday, and Gambhir will have to bank on his expertise of utilizing Yadav so as to prevent leaking runs across the field.

Going by the amount of professionalism and astute leadership Gambhir has displayed so far, it should not be a challenge for him to adhere to his skills and steer his men towards another decent victory. However, the rudiments of probability that looms over the shortest format of the game promises a testing encounter and a riveting watch.