Was there a case to hit first?
The result of the Kolkata Knight Riders against the Rajasthan Royals sees the teams that batted first so far in the 2020 IPL claim nine wins out of 12 games. And yet only once did a team win the toss and hit first.
The Royals were the latest victims of this trend after they chose to chase in Dubai, where all six games have been won by teams that hit first. Two of them were draws and they won in the Super Over, but still the evidence has been overwhelming. Furthermore, in the case of teams like the Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad, who rely almost unhealthily on their top three, it makes sense not to expose the middle order to a tense chase.
However, the teams have respected the dew and the long-term data much more than the first trends in this tournament. How long will it be before teams stop trying to correct the trend and instead see the reasons why the teams that beat first are winning? In the case of Abu Dhabi, it is because there has been some stitching under the lights. In Dubai, the field has slowed down. Sharjah has been incredibly good at hitting, so let’s not even include him in this particular discussion.
What did Archer do differently against KKR?
In the first two games, Jofra Archer shook and threw a lot of leg cutters and knuckle balls even with the new ball. In four overs thrown into powerplay the last two games, at Sharjah, he threw a value of slower balls. That includes the first ball he threw the last game, which was duly hit by four.
In Dubai, he had only one change of pace within the power play: from faster to faster, putting pressure on Shubman Gill and Sunil Narine, conceding just one run in the final. The TV commentators loved it because they had been crying out for him to pitch fast and set the tone. Now, your choice of pace might be hitter-specific or field-specific, but the numbers tell a story.
Overall, he has also thrown 20 slower balls in this IPL over 36 runs and no window. Otherwise, it has gone to 6.23 and averaged 18.
Why was Russell promoted?
Coming to the end of the 10th, this was the third time Andre Russell hit for KKR. In all of T20 cricket, he had entered only eight times before. While David Hussey, the Knight Riders’ mentor, has talked about Russell could get a double century if he gets there early, it sounds more like a cute quote than a genuine intention.
The only major reason for his rise against the Royals could be Eoin Morgan’s showdown against his England bowling partner Jofra Archer – eight balls, three runs, two wickets. And Archer had three overs left at the time, so it was pretty sure Archer would be in right away if Morgan had left.
Archer pitched anyway, getting the land from Gill and Dinesh Karthik. Morgan eventually faced seven balls from Archer, scoring nine of them. However, he did correct another matchup: against another bowler he often captains, Tom Curran. Prior to this game, Morgan had hit a limit of only 23 Curran deliveries in T20 cricket. In this game he got 22 out of 12.
However, did Russell’s promotion work? Well, Russell scored 24 of 14 and Morgan 34 of 23. You can’t say it was a failure, you can’t say it was a great success.
Why does Smith hit like Narine?
If you’ve noticed, Steven Smith has been moving over the fences in the power play in this IPL. There are many reasons. You are bound to do it once you choose to open, because your usual style doesn’t work on top. So there is a greater chance of getting away with it because the field is inside. That happened with James Neesham in the last game: in the power game he managed to pass slower balls over the infield, but once the power game was over, he pocketed the same bowler.
There’s another strategy that seems to be working here: Smith uses the hammer and pliers, and Jos Buttler, a more complete T20 hitter, looks to hit.
However, is that a successful strategy? Or is it better for Smith to play Yashasvi Jaiswal or Manan Vohra at the top and take responsibility for hitting the difficult No. 4 position? Robin Uthappa has a normal IPL so far anyway. Buckle up for a debate that is likely to get more intense as the Royals play more games on bigger grounds.
Why did Cummins throw three overs within the powerplay?
After being used as the unsuccessful kill specialist in the first game, Pat Cummins has thrown three powerplay overs in two consecutive games. In this game, he did so despite Sunil Narine enjoying a good match against the Royals’ top three. Overall, in his career, Cummins has thrown about 10 balls into powerplays on average. Its gradual breakdown over the past three years has been similar.
In the last game, the Knight Riders changed their strategy to one where they do their best to get through the gates of Cummins. The numbers of 3-0-11-1 and 3-0-13-1 would suggest that the move has worked. There has been an early window, plus that kind of economy rate also creates windows for others.
However, it remains to be seen whether this was a specific strategy for two teams, the Sunrisers and the Royals, who have no middle order to speak of. Against them, in most cases, it is a case of getting early windows and ending the game. How will the Knight Riders use Cummins against deeper hitting lineups?
He also compliments Dinesh Karthik for staying aggressive and persisting with Shivam Mavi in the seventh over, an over generally used as a cheap over for a spinner, and taking that extra wicket to seal the deal.
Why did Kuldeep Yadav start bowling at 16?
KKR is one of the teams that I think has passed their 11. If there are no injuries, this is the team they need to continue the tournament. Many different bowling options for the captain and can be used based on conditions. https://t.co/9pHcOqcSK8
– Gaurav Sundararaman (@gaurav_sundar) September 30, 2020
Because Knight Riders didn’t need it. Plan A worked superbly and they were able to show depth in their bowling attack. Three top-of-the-line spinners, three top-of-the-line rapids, with Andre Russell and Nitish Rana waiting if necessary in a contingency. That gives you the luxury of not overexposing a variety of bowler that is rare to face. Thus, Knight Riders used the wrist twist of Kuldeep’s left arm only against the tail.
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