Nawab's nightmare - LSG left licking their wounds after everything that could possibly go wrong, goes wrong
There is no scientific evidence that suggests that concussions are contagious, nor does it make any sense, but it sure felt that way by the way Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) performed in their final home game of the season against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Mohsin Khan thumped his head on the ground attempting a catch inside the powerplay, and the blow somehow imparted its way to others as LSG looked dazed and confused for the remainder of the contest, if not already before.
Oppositions dominating you is one thing, but letting oppositions dominate you is a whole other thing, and it was the latter on show at the Ekana.
Boys against men, spluttering engine against a well-oiled machine, put it any way you want, but the matter of fact is that there was a huge difference in the level with which the two sides operated, and fittingly, the remainder between the two sides was seated in the visiting dugout.
Visiting the former lair, Gambhir's troops showed no mercy as they ridiculed the long boundaries to hit 13 sixes and post the highest-ever T20 total at the venue. While much of it is attributed to brilliant batting, LSG sure did their best to not resist KKR's attempts with their robotic bowling and dubious fielding.
LSG's bowling unit has the structural integrity of a house of cards
LSG's bowling unit has been a Greek tragedy this season. Pacers toppling left and right due to injuries and some withdrawing at the last minute. The expectations from LSG's pacers were low, but they managed to create a new rock bottom to rest after the mauling they got at the hands of KKR.
At no phase did LSG's bowling have any command over the proceedings. Although the final score of 235 is more than enough to prove that, here is a look at how KKR structured their innings. The visitors scored at a run rate of 11.66, 11.22, and 12.50 across the three phases of their innings. It all started with the usual suspects - Phil Salt and Sunil Narine, and how it was put out on a plate for them.
KL Rahul tested out four pacers in the powerplay, and barring Salt's dismissal off a cutter, LSG had nothing to show for the first phase. Narine went about his business, relishing pace on the ball, and here is where LSG might have missed a trick. While one can understand the reservation of not bringing Krunal Pandya into the attack in the powerplay, Ravi Bishnoi was certainly an option as he has bowled relatively well in recent times with the field up.
The leg-spinner, with a reputation against left-handed batters and who eventually dismissed Narine, could have had an earlier shot against the opener.
Like a house of cards, LSG's bowling attack looks shaky from the onset. Like how a slight gust of wind is enough to topple the structure, one poor over is enough to shatter the bowling unit. That is what happened in the innings with nary a break in scoring.
Marcus Stoinis is hardly the greatest new ball candidate and KL Rahul rightly spoke about the rest of the young bowlers being unable to handle pressure.
Usually, the bowling and fielding performance go hand in hand, but in this case, both were adamant about making the other look bad. KKR also helped by infusing instant regret into LSG's minds. Immediately after a fielding mishap, a boundary followed.
To elaborate, the bowling was well off the radar, and the only thing that could have saved was a tight fielding performance. Alas, LSG somehow fared even worse in this department. It was a farcical display that left fielding coach Jonty Rhodes with a palm to his face (brought to life and display, thanks to the shrewd IPL cameramen).
He resorted to applauding the efforts of the substitute fielders and the ball boy beyond the ropes, that was the sad state of affairs at the Ekana. LSG did make up for all of the missed run-out chances, dropped catches, and misfields towards the end, but it was just a bit too late by then. LSG needed multiple attempts to clear the fire, and by the time it was extinguished, the damage was done.
If you don't probe and capitalize against well-oiled sides, they are bound to punish you, it is no rocket science. Insanity is repeating the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
That principle was on show when Stoinis was bowling a barrage of cutters to Narine, only to be dispatched for sixes. As Ravichandran Ashwin recently mentioned, the sizes of boundaries are irrelevant, and Narine proved it by clearing the ropes with ease.
LSG bury their NRR with a headless chicken approach
One could argue that the contest was more or less dead and buried in the first innings itself. But the least LSG could have done was put up a fight inspired by some of the heroic run chases this season, including their own.
Getting 236, or something even remotely close to that needed a plan, momentum and err on the opposition's side - none of the following happened during the run chase.
Even if they were somewhere close to the required rate at one stage with wickets in hand, KKR applied the double cheat code to steer their ship back to autopilot. Narine and Chakravarthy ended up with combined figures of 4-52 off their seven overs.
Stoinis and Pooran were LSG's biggest bets in the run chase, and both of them fell victim to Russell's Midas touch, which along with Cummins' is close to being researched as things are progressing.
LSG swung and swung hard, scampered, and scurried, but to no avail. In a way, somehow, LSG have lost two games within one. They lost the two points at the end of the first innings itself, and they suffered another loss in the form of their net run rate after the match ended. KL Rahul and company now have the third-worst NRR in the entire league, and potentially this loss is harder to fathom and digest than the actual loss.
As if the actual generic ways of getting dismissed were not enough, LSG batters found ways to get out. KKR's fielding showed how holding onto catches can make the greatest impact of them all and they claimed as many as eight on the field.
It's now or never for LSG - Either cream of the crop or the muddle in the middle
Winning is a habit, and it is not one that LSG have quite cultivated yet. Success is measured by titles at the end of the day, but it can also be judged by how much opponents fear you. As of now, LSG are as far from intimidating as one can get, and until they introduce that element, they might likely get stampeded in this ruthless race for the playoffs.
It won't benefit LSG to dissect this performance too much, as they will be discouraged by the glaring lack of positives. Close to a 100-run home defeat, a tanked net run rate, and an over-reliance on individualistic brilliance - At the risk of sounding pessimistic, the platform is set for LSG to dip at the right time ahead of a three-game away run to conclude the league stage.
Yes, matches in the IPL are often dictated by which team performs better on a given day, but you have to be set up in a fashion to produce your best on that given day, and that core element seems to be missing here.
Surmising, it was an experience to forget for LSG's ardent fans at home, the Nawabs of Lucknow were made to witness their worst nightmare right in front of their eyes. The lap of honor at the end, albeit a nice gesture, is just a band-aid to the gushing wound that needs stitches.