IPL 2018: Shining Shields and Chinks in the Armour- 4 talking points from KKR's performance

 Surprise Package: Nitish Rana proved to be the gamechanger with wickets of Kohli and De Villiers
Surprise Package: Nitish Rana proved to be the gamechanger with wickets of Kohli and De Villiers

As a new look unit of Kolkata Knight Riders took the lightning quick outfield at the uproarious Eden Gardens, there was an air of nervousness, concern and uncertainty. The air was ripe with questions:- How will the team fare without an established leader? What if there are more cases of misfortune like Mitchell Starc, with the squad already having major players coming back after injuries or being injury prone? Who will carry the middle order in the absence of a regular international batsman in the middle?

Credit must go to Dinesh Karthik for taking the first right step in filling the big boots of Gautam Gambhir and giving the magnificent crowd at the Eden a start to cherish. While the introduction of a certain Nitish Rana, the David who vanquished cricket's 2 biggest Goliaths on consecutive deliveries, was more of a hopeful try than a cricketing masterstroke, Karthik showed a tendency to think on his feet throughout the first innings and backed it up with the composure to finish the chase in what was a responsible skipper's knock. Although the Knights showed the mettle of their shining shields, the performance was at times edgy and gave a good insight into what might be their key enablers as well as some chinks in the armour as they advance ahead in the tournament.

Here are some talking points from the game as we dissect the Knights' performance:


#1 The Necessity of a Blitzkrieg beginning

Power Performers-Lynn and Narine's attacking approach will be crucial for KKR's success
Power Performers-Lynn and Narine's attacking approach will be crucial for KKR's success

The middle order for KKR isn't exactly the one which will have opponents trembling on the field. While Robin Uthappa and Dinesh Karthik, the backbone of the middle order are able batsmen, supported well by Nitish Rana, KKR will miss the pacing which either Gautam Gambhir or Manish Pandey were able to provide to their innings in the previous seasons. Uthappa is swashbuckling on his best days, but has an equal number of outings where he falls prey to his own frequently misjudged shots. The drop in tempo was evident today after the fall of Narine till the time Karthik took on Chahal in the 14th over.

Given this, it will be essential for either one of Lynn or Narine to go all guns blazing and fire a 40 plus score to set the base for the middle order, something which Narine delivered to perfection today. Both batsmen play a similar brand where they can take away the game from the opposition. KKR will need either one of them to grab the game by the scruff of the neck right from ball 1. Else the middle order will have a daunting task to follow.

#2 The Indian pacer: The Missing Piece or Time to Test the Rookies?

Time to Don the Mantle? Nagarkoti and Mavi must be handed a chance for KKR
Time to Don the Mantle? Nagarkoti and Mavi must be handed a chance for KKR

The pitch at Eden Gardens has undergone a radical transformation in the last few years. From being a slow turner to a deck where the ball comes sweetly onto the bat, the pitch now supports quicks who can maintain a consistent line and length and can deliver the ball at decent pace. Perfect example was the charging Umesh Yadav today, who caused quite a fetter in the camp of the Knight Riders. What this also means is that the pacers who give a slight room for error will be taken to the hustings on the outrageously quick outfield. While Umesh Yadav led the pace attack well in the past few seasons for KKR, R Vinay Kumar is clearly not the best equipped to lead that line this season. As evident in the game, there were a lot of loose deliveries and just not enough pace to extract the best out from the Eden track from Vinay Kumar. Already missing Mitchell Starc, the Indian pacer slot might turn out to be an Achilles Heel for KKR. Not getting much out of the spinners, turning to Nitish Rana against RCB was more of a desperation move because the pacers were not able to change the game.

However, they can take the leap of faith and place their hope on one of the star rookies from the U-19 World Cup- Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi- both of whom made people take note of them for their lethal pace and consistency Down Under. Who knows, might be the Emerging Stars who end up owning Eden. Definitely worth a shot.

#3 Keep Them Fit: Lack of Oversees Depth might hurt the Knights

Gamechanger- Russell must stay fit to make the Knights title contenders
Gamechanger- Russell must stay fit to make the Knights title contenders

There were few surprises when Mitchell Starc, hilariously called IPL's runaway bride, by Harsha Bhogle, pulled out of the squad. A lot of eyebrows were raised looking at the Knight Riders' overseas selections. While all were explosive T-20 match winners, the problem was they were too few and the ones who were there were heavily injury prone. KKR went in with 4 star names- Narine, Russell, Lynn and Starc- with Narine being under the scanner for controversial action and the other three regular preys to severe injuries. Backing them up were Mitchell Johnson, Cameron Delport and Javon Searles, not exactly the names to incite fear in the opposition.

Andre Russell still looked to be getting back to full match fitness in the Game 1, as evident from his fielding position(not at the preferred Long Off) and late and limited introduction to the Bowling attack. If the Knights have to fire on all cylinders, they have to ensure they keep their overseas stalwarts fit and injury free.

#4 The Trusted Trio of Turners: The Formula for control

Turning it on- The spinners will be key to establishing control in the games
Turning it on- The spinners will be key to establishing control in the games

Something which the Knight Riders have been able to retain fully is the trio of their spinners. With Narine's precision, Kuldeep's guile and Chawla's mix and match of deliveries, they boost of one of the most powerful spin lineups. While Eden Gardens is no longer the spin paradise it used to be, the three of them still prove effective with their deceptiveness and control.

Against RCB, Kuldeep Yadav couldn't throw up a storm. But Piyush Chawla and Narine chipped in well in between, despite li support from the track. Narine showed his capacity towards crucial breakthroughs with McCullum's wicket while Chawla also was not easy to smash out of the park.

The trio of turners will probably reap more dividends away from home for the Knight Riders.Also, more often than not what will seem to define games will be the explosive strokes of Lynn, Russell or Narine himself. However, what will potentially shape up games from behind the curtains for the Knights are the tight spell which their spinners will turn up in the middle overs.

The start was what the doctor had ordered for. The Knights must ensure they are turning up for battle how they did today. They surely have enough firepower to claim a third title.

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Edited by Amar Anand