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Alagappan Muthu
IPL 2020 game talking points between Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab.
Are the Knight Riders beating Karthik too high?
Possibly. Dinesh Karthik has always wanted to be a finisher. He wants to play that role for India. As captain of the Knight Riders, most of the time, he minimized order. He has designed a T20 game that revolves around risky shots – mid-air punches, sweeps and reverse sweeps, etc. This only works when you only have a few balls to play with.
But this season, the Knight Riders have used him as a first-rate hitter. An inning at No. 3, 30 of 23 balls. Four innings at No. 4, Seven of 19 balls. These are not good numbers. But the fifty percent he made, a game-winning inning, came from No. 5. The Knight Riders might consider pushing Karthik back to maximize their impact. Especially now with Andre Russell injured.
Cummins working for Knight Riders?
With just six wickets from 44 overs, Pat Cummins tops the wrong list. Well. Not really. 2 … among the fast bowlers with the least amount of land (minimum 25 bowling overs) this IPL.
Knight Riders bought Cummins for INR 15.5 million rupees (approximately $ 2 million). That is not his fault. When the auction took place in December 2019, he was one of the most exciting players in the world. The only thing is that he is a specialized bowler. You only have 24 balls to affect a game. If things don’t go the way he wants, as they are not now, it is a major investment that is counterproductive.
That’s why it’s risky to pay that much for a player with a single stunt skill, even if he’s of Cummins caliber. The man is a world champion, but even his form can sink.
Were the Knight Riders a low hitter?
Kamlesh Nagarkoti entered the fall of the fifth wicket. He has a T20 average of 7.5. So yes.
Now, he only hit so high because the Knight Riders wanted to retain Pat Cummins, their bowler who already reached fifty in this IPL, for the final overs. It didn’t work and they collapsed to 149 by 9.
The Knight Riders’ hitting fell off a cliff after Eoin Morgan at No. 5. Russell’s injury has ruined the team’s balance.
On the reserves, they have two specialized middle-order hitters: Siddhesh Lad and Nikhil Naik. However, neither credentials have been tested in the IPL. There’s also Tom Banton, again with no proven IPL credentials, but he’s highly rated around the world. The only problem is that he is a first-rate specialist in a team full of first-rate specialists. Average 30.68, strike rate 155. As soon as they push it down, those numbers drop to 11 and 97.
With a playoff spot on the line, there may be a case for the Knight Riders to install Banton at the top and drop Nitish Rana to No. 3 and Karthik back to No. 5 or 6. That way they won’t face off. a situation where after scoring 70 for 0 between the third and eighth overs of a game, but then collide with 69 for 6 in the next 12 overs.
Is Gayle working on number 3?
Prior to this IPL, Chris Gayle had hit out of his preferred starting position a total of eight times in 401 T20 innings.
But at Kings XI, even after their regular starter Mayank Agarwal was injured, Gayle remained at No. 3 and there seems to be a good reason for it.
One, Rahul can get into his innings better when he has a partner willing to run hard. And two, Gayle can start his innings against the slower bowlers who have little chance of hindering him for space or pressuring him with pace.
This IPL, Gayle has a hit rate of 164.58 against the effect. Against the beat, it’s 123.43. He even had 17 runs off Narine on Monday, the most he’s ever done in an IPL game.
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