3 reasons why KKR got knocked out of IPL 2023

The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) defeated the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 1 run in yet another thrilling encounter in the Tata IPL 2023. With the result, LSG ensured themselves a 3rd-place finish in the playoffs, while KKR are languishing in the 7th spot.

Batting first at the Eden Gardens, LSG posted a competitive total of 176/8 at the end of their 20 overs. The LSG batting effort was headlined by an excellent, counter-attacking half-century by Nicholas Pooran (58 runs off 30 balls), who took the KKR attack to the cleaners.

Prerak Mankad and Ayush Badoni too made vital contributions for the visitors. For KKR, the pick of the bowlers were Sunil Narine (4 - 0 - 28 - 2), Vaibhav Arora (4 - 0 - 30 - 2) and Harshit Rana (3 - 0 - 21 - 1).

In reply, KKR were off to a flying start courtesy of Jason Roy (45 runs off 28 balls) and Venkatesh Iyer (24 runs off 15 balls). However, KKR lost a flurry of wickets after Iyer departed with the score at 61/1 in 5.5 overs. The LSG spinners tied a web around the hosts, continuously chipping away at the wickets and not allowing the hosts to break free.

KKR faced the Himalayan task of scoring 41 runs in the last 2 overs with just 3 wickets in hand until Rinku Singh (67 runs off 33 balls) showed one final act of heroics this season. In the end, KKR fell short by one run.

With the loss, KKR officially got knocked out of the Tata IPL 2023. The 'Knights' won just six out of their 14 matches. It was a mixed season for KKR, where some players like Rinku Singh put in exceptional performances, but overall the squad lacked consistency, which resulted in their early exit from the tournament.

On that note, let us take a look at three reasons why KKR got knocked out of the Tata IPL 2023.

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#1 No fixed opening partnerships

A strong opening pair is integral to the success of any T20 franchise. Teams like RCB, RR, PBKS, and CSK have relied heavily on their openers. However, KKR has struggled to find the right opening combination.

This season, KKR tried seven different opening partnerships, but none of the pairings provided the expected result for the franchise. Last season, too, KKR tried six different combinations, and this is being seen as a recurring problem for the franchise.

The 7 pairs that KKR tried this year are: (1) Mandeep Singh and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, (2) Venkatesh Iyer and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, (3) Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Narayan Jagadeesan, (4) Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Jason Roy, (5) Jason Roy and Litton Das, (6) Jason Roy and Narayan Jagadeesan, and (7) Venkatesh Iyer and Jason Roy.

However, none of these pairs delivered the goods, as KKR were forced to experiment until the final game. This continuous chopping and changing by the team management and the inconsistency of the players have cost the franchise dearly.

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#2 Poor form of KKR veterans Andre Russell and Sunil Narine

The ever-consistent Sunil Narine had a rather subdued season this year. In 14 matches this year, Narine picked up just 11 wickets at an economy rate of 7.97.

Over the years, the West Indian legend has been one of the most consistent performers for KKR, regularly breaking partnerships and bowling at a miserable economy rate.

However, this year, he failed to live up to his billing. His economy rate and wicket-taking ability were much worse in the initial stages of the tournament but gradually improved as the season progressed. Yet his performance was far from the high standards he has set for himself.

Another KKR veteran, Andre Russell, had a bad season. He had a poor season with the ball, as in 14 matches he picked up just 7 wickets at an economy rate of 11.34.

With the bat too, he had a below-par season; he scored just 227 runs in 14 matches at an average of 20.64 and a strike rate of 145.51. The poor form of both of these IPL legends have hurt KKR badly.

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#3 Overreliance on Rinku Singh

KKR were overreliant on Rinku Singh throughout the tournament. Singh scored 474 runs in 14 matches at an astonishing average of 59.25 and a strike rate of 149.52. He has remained not out on six occasions. He is the only KKR batter to feature in the 'Top 10' rankings on the Orange Cap leaderboard.

However, just like yesterday, he was often left with too much to be done in the end. Players such as Nitish Rana and Venkatesh Iyer did produce flashes of brilliance but did not go on to pile up the runs consistently like Faf Du Plessis for RCB or Shubman Gill for GT.

KKR invested in players like Narayan Jagadeesan and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, but both of these players failed to live up to the management's expectations.

In 11 matches, Gurbaz scored 227 runs at an average of 20.64 and a strike rate of 133.52. On the other hand, Jagadeesan too had a dismal season, scoring just 89 runs in six matches at an average of 14.83 and a strike rate of 109.87.