It’s turning out to be a tough season for the Kolkata Knight Riders, or KKR as we fondly call them, as they are yet to register a win after 5 games. This is KKR‘s worst start in IPL history since its inception. The problem with KKR is that they are playing well in patches, but not consistently enough to close out and win games. Their batting and bowling are doing well in parts and not as a whole. Last night, they lost fair and square to CSK, who have got their second consecutive win. There are areas where KKR is lacking, and we will identify them for you.
Lagging in power play in both innings dents KKR
The most important phase of a T20 game is the power play overs, as it sets the tone for the rest of the innings and perhaps the match. It was important to win at least one power play, if not both, but if one lags, then there is catch-up cricket to do, and that is exactly what happened to KKR in Chennai. KKR opted to field with dew around, and were off with their lines and lengths initially.
CSK capitalised on the loose balls and punished them. Despite losing Ruturaj Gaikwad, the captain early, CSK had a field night in power play as Sanju Samson and Ayush Mhatre made merry, the latter in particular, as the Men in Yellow amassed 72/2 in 6 overs of power play. Losing 2 wickets is fine, provided the runs are on the board, and CSK had that luxury. Yes, KKR came back in the middle and final phase to keep CSK under 200, but 192 was a competitive score on a sporting Chepauk track.
Cut to the second innings, KKR needed a fast start in the power play overs to match CSK. A 50-60 run power play would have been ideal for KKR, but what baffled many was the intent and lack of it from the batters. Yes, they lost Finn Allen early. Sunil Narine slogged a lot and managed 24 off 17 balls. But the other batters, like Ajinkya Rahane in particular, just lacked intent out there. KKR bats deep on paper, and that’s why this approach was baffling. They need to change their intent and approach going forward and take the attack to the opposition.
CSK bowlers are decent, but not world beaters. So, a bit of intent could have put pressure on the Men in Yellow. But that was not to be for the Purple army. To put things in perspective, CSK were 72/2 in 6 overs while KKR were 36/2 in 6 overs. The difference in power play itself was 36 runs. That is a lot of catching up to do. In the end, KKR lost by 32 runs, proving the main difference was the power play overs. They need to fix this issue before it is too late for them this season.
Losing 4/47 in 8 overs in the middle phase to spin twins Noor Ahmad and Akeal Hosein dents KKR more
As if losing the power play overs was not enough, KKR lost the plot in the middle overs to CSK as spin to win on a slightly sluggish surface helped CSK to tighten the screws. Once KKR managed only 36 runs in the power play overs in the chase of 193, the writing was more or less on the wall as CSK could unleash Noor Ahmad with the required rate climbing up. KKR struggles against spin is a given fact, and that was the case in Chepauk last night.
Despite dropping a few catches, CSK had control over the proceedings and dominated the middle phase as well. Noor was back to his best after an indifferent start to his campaign and was the wrecker-in-chief with the ball. And giving him company was Akeal Hosein, who brought control to the proceedings. Once these two were on song, there was no way back for the Knights. Rahane, Raghuvanshi, and all struggled against spin, and then the pressure meant they lost wickets in clusters to lose the plot.
After a 50-run stand, it was Hosein who got rid of Raghuvanshi, before Noor got into the act and dismissed Rahane and Cameron Green off consecutive balls to break the back of KKR’s efforts. Rinku Singh also fell to Noor as the game was as good as over at 90/6 in the 13th over. Yes, some fight was shown later on, but that was too little too late. KKR needs to fix their batting issues, as the bowling did a decent job last night. But the batting intent, especially middle order, left a lot to be desired and something to worry about for the Knights against spin as well.
Questionable Batting Order Exposes KKR’s Mindset
Another thing to note from last night was KKR’s batting order. It suddenly changed from the previous matches, and it upset the rhythm of the team, or so it seemed that way. Doing badly in power play or middle phase are issues, no doubt, but the most underlying issue is the batting order that was used last night. In a chase of 193, suddenly, Finn Allen had a new opening partner in Sunil Narine. The message was that we would go out and attack CSK in power play, or so we thought. But that was not to be. Credit to CSK for bowling great lines and lengths.
Finn Allen failed again. Then we had captain Ajinkya Rahane walking at 3. He played too slowly and conservatively to anyone’s liking, and the strike-rate against spin is low. Rahane was doing well as an opener, and he looked like a misfit at 3. The batter in some decent form, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, batted at 4. The best batter should bat most overs, but KKR felt differently. Then, out of form Rinku Singh came at 5 and played a proper Test cricketing role.
Once Rahane went, Cameron Green came and went in the blink of an eye before anyone could realise a golden duck as Green’s expensive acquisition ain’t working for KKR. Rovman Powell came in at 7, and Ramandeep Singh came in at 8. These two showed how to bat and batted with intent. Both Powell and Ramandeep were batting too low down the order. Green is not a Number 6 batter. KKR has decent options in the bench, but they are not using them. The batting order problem has been an issue for them even last season.
If they want to salvage the season, they need to get the right batting order and get them performing as soon as possible. The margin of error is nil, and they are almost in must-win territory, languishing in 10th place. The batting order has to be proper and consistent as well.
What Lies Ahead
KKR has a lot of thinking to do as they head to Ahmedabad next to face the Gujarat Titans on 17th April, i.e. Friday, before returning home to take on current leaders Rajasthan Royals in Kolkata on Sunday. CSK next travels to Hyderabad to take on SRH on Saturday evening, with both teams at 2 wins in 5 games.
A lot to look forward to as things are heating up in IPL 2026 now.
Also Read: CSK vs KKR: Noor Ahmad’s 3-Wicket Haul Flattens KKR