2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by KKR in their IPL 2023 match vs SRH
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pulled off a thrilling five-run win over the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday, May 4.
Although they lost three wickets in the powerplay, and none of their batters crossed the 50-run mark, the Knight Riders managed to put up a decent 171/9. The Sunrisers stuttered and stumbled in their chase before assuming decent control over the contest. However, KKR roared back by picking up a flurry of wickets at the death to outlast the opposition.
While they managed to come away with two points, though, Nitish Rana and Co. made a few questionable tactical decisions at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by KKR in their IPL 2023 match against SRH.
#3 Mistake - KKR didn't use Suyash Sharma as their impact player
This isn't a move that cost KKR much. With them losing wickets in a hurry towards the end of their batting innings, the think tank decided to try and score some extra runs by sending in all-rounder Anukul Roy.
Anukul repaid their faith to a certain extent, striking two fours in his 13-run knock. However, Rinku Singh turning down a single clearly meant that Kolkata didn't have too much faith in the youngster's batting.
Moreover, Anukul's inclusion meant that KKR couldn't bring Suyash Sharma into the fold in the second innings. The leg-spinner has been one of the team's standout bowlers this season and would've posed some serious questions to the SRH batters on the Hyderabad surface.
Anukul's three overs went for 26 runs, and he managed to prise out Harry Brook. Suyash would've probably produced better returns, though.
#2 Masterstroke - The Knight Riders' batting order was finally spot-on
KKR have struggled to put together a stable opening combination in IPL 2023, and their pairing at the top against SRH might be their best way forward.
Jason Roy missed the previous game with a back niggle but returned to the fold for this one, partnering Rahmanullah Gurbaz at the top of the order. The destructive duo didn't click against the Orange Army but are bound to fire in unison at some point during the remainder of the tournament.
Following Roy and Gurbaz, KKR fielded Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh in that order. There weren't any experiments involving Anukul Roy, Shardul Thakur and Sunil Narine, as they stuck to their best batters.
The Knight Riders also got Andre Russell's entry point right. The West Indian entered the fray in the 12th over with sufficient time to make an impact. Although he didn't, dismissed while playing yet another silly shot, the thinking was right.
KKR need to stick with the same batting order in their upcoming games as well.
#1 Mistake - Nitish Rana used his main spinners in completely bizarre fashion
In the end, it paid off. Varun Chakaravarthy bowled three overs at the death, conceding only 12 runs over them. The spinner bowled KKR to victory in the final over, with the home side needing five runs to win.
However, Nitish Rana's bowling changes could've gone horribly wrong on another day. By the end of the 14th over, Kolkata's two main spinners, Sunil Narine and Chakaravarthy, had bowled only a combined three overs.
Had Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen not gotten out while playing imprudent shots against the pacers, they would've been primed to take on KKR's most potent threats with the ball. And while a set Klaasen butchers spinners, Markram has gotten much better against that style of bowling as well.
Rana's decision to bowl Vaibhav Arora at the death could've backfired, too. The swing bowler isn't known for his prowess at the fag end of the innings and could've been taken for runs.
Narine ended up bowling just two overs, even though SRH's premier spin-hitters were dismissed early. The KKR skipper's usage of resources and bowling changes were rather peculiar in Hyderabad. You could argue that he was lucky to get away with them.