How the Kings lost the plot
After failing to score the 13 required for victory off the final two overs against Kings XI Punjab in Kolkata, Kolkata Knight Riders ensured that the embarrassment isn’t repeated again, chasing another small target of 125, they romped home by 8 wickets with more than 3 overs to spare.
On a pitch that offered a hint of sideways movement, captain Gautham Gambhir led the way from the front with a stroke filled 66 off 44 deliveries. He along with two other seniors, Jacques Kallis (30 n.o) and Brendon McCullum (15) looked positive from the word go and ensured that, unlike the last game, the task is not left till the end. Except Piyush Chawla, who had a good return of 2/19, the rest of the KXIP’s bowlers struggled to make any impression.
But to put the blame squarely on the Punjab bowlers for the heavy defeat would be grossly unfair. It was the lack of big hitting in the second half of the innings that hurt the home side the most. After making a decent start, the eventual total that KXIP ended up with was way below par.
Skipper Adam Gilchrist was his usual self early on and along with Shaun Marsh had laid a good platform for the Kings XI Punjab to launch from. In the post match analysis, Gilchrist blamed his hamstring injury and the subsequent return to the crease for losing direction in the innings but it was the lack of a big hitter that caused the loss of momentum.
Though Gilchrist had to retire midway during the innings, his team was comfortably placed at 63/2 at the halfway stage. With a nicely settled Marsh and David Hussey on the crease and wickets in hand, 150 was definitely on the cards. But for that, it was necessary for one of the two to have stayed till the end.
Sensing the need for wickets, Gambhir, in an inspired change, brought Lee back into the attack and derailed the Punjab innings. A disputable decision that sent Marsh back into the pavilion and the run-out of Hussey in the very next over literally put the breaks on the innings. The likes of Dimitri Mascarenhas, Paras Dogra and Piyush Chawla tried their best but were found severely wanting in being able to strike the ball cleanly out of the park, a la Kieron Pollard or Yusuf Pathan.
In the end, while teams have scored over 10 an over in the second half of the innings, Kings XI Punjab huffed and puffed to score just 62 off their final 10 overs. Gilchrist came back towards the end of the innings and tried his best to boost the innings but it was a little too late. In the slam bang version of the game, crawling at such a pace was simply unacceptable. The KKR bowlers put up a disciplined effort and didn’t allow the Punjab batsmen to break-free; Sunil Narine, Laxmipathy Balaji and Rajat Bhatia had a plan and executed it brilliantly. But that doesn’t hide the fact that Gilchrist’s men lacked firepower to propel the score towards a big total.
Now looking ahead, there doesn’t seem to be anyone in the current squad who can do the job with clarity lower down the order. The team will have to think out of the box and make maximum use of the current resources. Players like Mascarenhas and Chawla have shown ability with the bat in the past and they must be groomed for the role. Or someone like Paul Valthaty, who is an amazing striker of ball but is struggling at the top of the order, can be asked to do the job of a finisher.
With 3 defeats in 5 games, Kings XI Punjab are pegged at the seventh spot in the points table. Before it gets too late they must realize that more often than not its the batsmen and not bowlers who win matches in the shortest format of the game.
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https://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/04/18/ipl-5-the-good-bad-ugly-and-supernatural/
https://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/04/18/the-plunder-games-week-2-recap/