A win followed by a loss. That has been the story so far this IPL for Kolkata Knight Riders.
Currently at No.5 on the table with three victories and as many losses, consistency will be key for the defending champions when they face a spirited Punjab Kings in Mullanpur on Tuesday.
A clinical eight-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in an away game should certainly up their confidence by a notch. But the conditions in Mullanpur will not be like the one at Chepauk, which was slow and aided spinners.
The Mullanpur pitch is friendlier for batsmen and it’s not too big a ground either, which means a tougher task awaits the bowlers.
Yes, the Kings bowlers may be under some pressure for their inability to defend a mammoth 246-run target against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last game, being clobbered by Abhishek Sharma on a belter of a track in Hyderabad. The opportunity is ideal then for the Knights’ batting group to cash in on such a situation and pile further agony on the Kings’ bowling attack.
If openers Quinton de Kock and Sunil Narine can deny the Kings’ spearhead
Arshdeep Singh in his opening spell, their job should become simpler. For the home
team, though, how Arshdeep fares when the ball is new and also at the death will have a big role to play.
To talk of the Knights’ bowling, whether they bench off-spinner all-rounder Moeen Ali again and draft pacer Anrich Nortje into the XI is one decision the team management needs to make. Given the Mullanpur conditions, playing an extra spinner alongside Varun Chakravarthy and Narine could be risky, given the power-packed Kings line-up.
But Moeen, too, is an experienced campaigner and has been in decent rhythm with the ball, while Nortje has just started bowling in full throttle following his recovery from injury. Besides, the South African tends to bleed runs if things don’t go his way.
Lockie ‘all but out’
Kings’ fast-bwling coach James Hopes said pacer Lockie Ferguson has been ruled out of this IPL “indefinitely”, owing to what appears a quadriceps injury. The New Zealand quick left the field after bowling just two balls against the Sunrisers on Saturday.
Shreyas effect
The franchise didn’t retain Shreyas Iyer even after he led the Knights to their third
IPL crown last year. Captaining the Kings this season, Shreyas will certainly be keen to make a statement against his former franchise.
With an aggregate of 250 runs so far, an average of 83.33 and an even better strike rate (208.33), Shreyas has been a source of strength for the Kings’ batting group. The dominance that young Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh have shown upfront has also made matters easier for the Kings’ skipper.
For KKR to neutralise their former captain, Varun and Narine will be the best weapons. But the spin duo, too, will have their task cut out given the command with which Shreyas has been batting lately.
