After winning their last four matches, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were given a brutal reality check as they lost a crucial clash against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). In a game that was delayed for an hour and 15 minutes due to heavy rain, RCB played the crunch moments a lot better and had to thank Virat Kohli for his sublime innings that guided the chase. KKR had their moments where they troubled RCB, but it was not good enough to get the job done in the end. We will try to analyse where KKR went wrong last night in Raipur.
Falling 10-15 runs short of a winning total dented KKR’s chances
KKR were put into bat first by RCB on a fresh wicket that was never used for any international or IPL game, as this was Pitch 4. No one knew how the pitch would play, but it played a lot better than the game against MI. The pitch suited RCB more than the earlier pitch for sure. KKR got off to a decent start but lost both the openers in the power play. Ajinkya Rahane and Finn Allen fell after getting starts. It was not that KKR were slow; they were decent as they made 56 in the power play.
Thereafter, the duo of Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Cameron Green built a partnership in the middle phase and put KKR in a strong fashion. Raghuvanshi was brilliant in his innings of 71, and Green complemented him really well. With wickets in hand, KKR looked good to get to 200+, which was needed as this was a much better surface than we initially thought. Thereafter, Rinku Singh came and provided the finishing kick to take the score to 192. But it felt like KKR having wickets in hand, they could have gone harder and targeted the 200+ mark. One felt they missed out there and kept RCB in the game despite losing 4 wickets in the innings.
This was a little thing that KKR did not do well. Their batting was great, but could have been better, especially considering RCB’s batting might and KKR’s own bowling resources. There is always the temptation of trying and getting 15-20 extra than par to help the bowlers, and KKR fell short in that. They will look to work on that area in the coming games that they have.
Inability to dismiss Virat Kohli & Devdutt Padikkal owing to missed opportunities almost sealed the fate
KKR had posted a competitive 192 runs on the board batting first, and RCB still had to bat well to chase this total down. Chasing this significant target, RCB lost Jacob Bethell after a 37-run opening stand with Kohli. Thereafter, Virat Kohli was joined by Devdutt Padikkal, and they took full control of the proceedings out there. They complemented each other really well, with both switching roles between aggressor and anchor player. KKR seemed to have no answers to them as RCB reached 66 after the first power play.
KKR, though, created chances to dismiss both the batters. Virat Kohli, while playing on 21* tried to go inside out over extra cover where Rovman Powell was positioned at short extra cover. He jumped and tried to take it, but the ball burst through. It was half a chance, alright, but when greats like Virat Kohli give you even a half chance, one must take it. Powell jumped, but the ball burst through his hands, and that turned out to be a big moment in the game. Kohli went on to smash 105* to take his side home, scoring 84 runs after the dropped catch.
There was another dropped catch, when Devdutt Padikkal, batting on 22*Â swiveled the ball to deep backward square leg, where Vaibhav Arora settled underneath it and dropped a dolly. While Powell’s catch was tough, this should have been taken. Padikkal made the most of the reprieve and added 17 more runs from that dropped catch. More importantly, his partnership with Kohli went more as they put on 92 runs for the second wicket. Individually, the dropped catch cost only 17 runs, but the partnership became longer, and it helped RCB and dented KKR.
As the old saying goes, catches win matches, and KKR dropped only two catches, but they were the most important ones. Both the batters made the fielding team pay as RCB romped home to win, with Kohli staying till the end. Many teams have dropped catches this season and KKR is no different. But in a battle to stay alive, one can ill afford these lapses. So, KKR will be hoping to put this behind them and improve their catching for the upcoming matches at home. Dropped catches cost you, and both the batters benefited from it.
Varun Chakaravarthy’s unavailability exposes KKR’s bowling resources
Another key development that took place just before this game was the Varun Chakaravarthy factor. He was a doubtful starter for the game and after a few practice sessions, it was clear his injury was serious, and he would not take part in this game. Varun was limping out there. He gave the team the pep talk before the match, but he couldn’t take the field, and this was a massive blow for KKR. The Knight depended on spin with the pace bowling going for runs, and here they were dealt a massive body blow.
Varun is a key player for the Knight Riders, and even in this IPL, he started slow and went for runs, which did not help as KKR also started slowly. But the resurgence of Varun coincided with the Knights’ resurgence as well, since the last 4 matches that KKR won were due to the brilliance of Varun and Sunil Narine. With Varun out, KKR missed his services as Narine was left alone to do a job as the RCB batters played him out and gave him 1/31 yesterday in 4 overs. Bowling in tandem is important, and Varun provides that.
The pace bowling of Kolkata is weak to say the least. Yes, Kartik Tyagi was the lone bright spot with 3 wickets to his name, bowling fast and accurately. He and Narine bowled well. But the others were easy pickings for RCB. Vaibhav Arora went for plenty in his wicketless spell. Anukul Roy would have hoped to step up, but was taken down by RCB batters. The pace bowling was weak after injuries to key pacers ruled them out of the tournament. So, it was more spin to win for the Knights.
The hosts will be desperately hoping their ace spinner Varun Chakaravarthy attains full fitness as they will need his services in the last 3 home games that they are scheduled to play. If Varun does not get fit before Saturday, then KKR will again struggle to field a proper combination. So, all prayers with Varun for all KKR fans to recover and play in their last 3 games.
What Lies Ahead
Kolkata will next face GT at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Saturday night, while RCB faces PBKS in Dharamsala on Sunday afternoon. RCB have one foot on the door for playoffs while KKR are one misstep away from elimination. Tonight, it’s going to be PBKS looking to end a 4-match losing streak to come back on track up against already eliminated 5-time champions MI in Dharamsala, where the weather is dodgy, and there is forecast of rain in the venue on matchday. Let’s hope the rain stays away.
We shall see how the game goes in Dharamsala later tonight, weather permitting, and whether MI can pull off an upset there.
Also Read: RCB vs KKR: Virat Kohli’s Sublime 9th IPL Ton Puts RCB On Top Of Points Table