Kolkata’s fight for survival
Sharjah plays host as Kolkata Knight Riders clash against the Kings Eleven Punjab in game number 46 of the IPL.
Kings eleven have made a dramatic turnaround in the tournament. They have gone from one win in seven to five wins in eleven, four consecutive wins in the last four matches. The Mohali based outfit is infamous for changing its coach and captain every season, in fact, since the start of IPL in 2008, KXIP have had 12 different captains in 13 years, something which explains their lack of trophies and generally mediocre performances every year. If you look around you will see most successful teams in IPL, or sports in general, have a stable leadership; MS Dhoni for CSK, Rohit Sharma for MI, Gautam Gambhir for KKR, etc.
In KL Rahul the Kings have a reticent yet efficient leader, and someone who can be at the helm for a few years. Rahul has been the standout player for the Kings for a while now, and expectedly handed over the reins of captaincy this year. After a topsy turvy start, Rahul seems to be finally getting a grasp over the enormity of the challenge. Initially Rahul was putting too much pressure on himself, the ‘urge to do it all by himself’ was too great a challenge to overcome. He seems to have gotten over that now, he seems to realize it’s a team game, he seems to understand being a leader doesn’t mean only making a fantastic contribution but to support and create an environment where his teammates can do the same, it’s a game of 11 vs 11 this, not 1 vs 11.
Rahul has been supported extremely well by his other opening bat, his partner in crime, the yoga loving Mayank Agarwal, this Jodi is the Jai-Viru ‘jodi’ of the IPL, unavailable today due to injury, Mandeep Singh will take his place at the top. IPL 13 has been the making of a certain Nicholas Pooran, Pooran from Trinidad and Tobago reminds you of a certain Brian Charles Lara, from Trinidad too, with his high back lift, coverdrives, and use of feet against the spinners. Nicholas Pooran bats with such carefree, gay abandon and fearlessness that it almost belies the indentured labouring dark past of his brown ancestors, something that as a person of color, I absolutely love.
But the best thing the kings did was get Chris Gayle back in the side, and not break up the opening pair to accommodate him. Chris Gayle the old, wise head, among young impatient men, was always going to play a winning hand. The way he has chosen his targets, unassuming unsuspecting bowlers, would make a lioness proud, always waiting for the weakest link, always waiting for the most opportune moment before going in for the kill.
Rahul seems to have a lot of trust in Arshdeep Singh too. This greenhorn from the u19 India setup has been impressive, specially at the end. Jordan seems to be finally living up to the reputation he built while playing for England, the spell against SRH the other night was outstanding. Bishnoi though was the architect of that win, he has gone from being a boy to a man in a month, through his extraordinary performances with the ball. The way the Kings came back and won the game against Hyderabad, defending a modest 126 was something very special. The team has gelled as a unit and players are fearless now. The belief is high, and their sights are set on a certain Kolkata Knight Riders.
Kolkata led by the stoic Eoin Morgan have been erratic this season. They have gone from the ridiculous to the sublime in a matter of matches. KKR in all honesty have still not come together as a unit, and their batting unit has struggled to get going this season. Shubman Gill was supposed to have a blockbuster IPL this season, one which would make him an overnight superstar and an India regular, but in sports as in life, nothing is a guarantee. Shubman Gill it would seem has taken a few steps back in the last few games. His problems though are mostly psychological, and it shouldn’t take him long to roar back into form, after all the guy has a first class average of over 56, a good indicator of a player’s caliber. Rahul Tripathi the other opener, came in at 3 the last time, has looked like a cat on a tin roof while playing genuine fast bowling. In the last match against Nortje and Rabada, the match before against Siraj and Morris, or against Bumrah and Boult, Rahul Tripathi got exposed. He would hope to come in at 3 after the fourth over. Nitish Rana still can’t play the short ball, and that facet of his game will be exploited on most days, on some days he will get away on some he won’t. Karthik for the most part has had a torrid time in the last month or so, first he lost his form and then his captaincy, his inconsistency is a genuine cause for concern and the team will have a hard time trusting him with the bat.
Narine cannot be a regular at 5. He did play the innings of his life in the last one, but Kolkata needs Morgan to bat higher at 4 or 5, and Narine should bat after Karthik. But, the way he played in the last game and keeping in mind Kings has spinners and mostly Indian medium pacers who bowl in the middle order, Narine can be a good punt. Russel even if he is fit, who will he replace in the eleven? Especially with his poor form with the bat and ball. Kolkata needs a good Indian batsmen and an Indian allrounder in the next auction.
This is a fight for the playoffs and the player who puts his hand up and performs in this crunch encounter will have the respect of one and all.
#MyVerdict
Kolkata needs its batters to fire to have any chance in this one, maybe another divine intervention, a parting gift from Maa Durga.
Punjab look the favorites though.
May the best team win.
