Surprise and disturbing results are a major part of the Indian Premier League, but even allowing for such vicissitudes, this season has been exceptional, best highlighted by the remarkable journey undertaken by Kolkata Knight Riders , who will play Chennai Super Kings in Friday’s final.
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All three games in the play-offs before the final had a final over finish, indicating the intense level of competition and the equally distributed talent around. KKR were involved in two of these three matches, and were forced to take the more difficult route after finishing fourth in the points table in the league stage. This only enhances their wonderful story.
In the first leg of the season played in India, KKR finished 7th after losing 5 out of seven matches. When the tournament resumed in the UAE, KKR turned a team, stunned everyone by winning 5 out of seven matches, and leapfrogged into the play-offs.
Two entertaining competitions, both of which provided an edge in the excitement of the seat, saw KKR advance to the finals. In the Eliminator, they beat Royal Challengers Bangalore and in the second qualifier on Wednesday, Eoin Morgan’s team won a sensational last-over victory over Delhi Capitals.
There are very few examples of any team tracing such an amazing trajectory in a single season. KKR’s performance in the first and second phases, varying as chalk and cheese, ranged from utterly mediocre to excellence, raising questions as to how the same group of players could play in such a contrasting fashion within a few months. Is.
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Obviously, the difference was not in the skills of the players, but in their mindset. In the first phase, KKR appeared indifferent, almost defeatist. Close matches were surrendered without a fight. It was almost as if the team had conceded defeat as soon as they entered the field. Along with low mental resolve, players’ body language was also negative, causing them to lose confidence in their own abilities, increase mistakes and errors, and result in defeat.
Before the start of the second leg, head coach Brendon McCullum said that he and captain Morgan had discussed these aspects with the players, and that the KKR team that will be seen in action in the UAE will be the only one in India. There will be departure. The goal was to play with moderate aggression, a positive attitude stemming from self-confidence. This mantra worked well.
Keep in mind that KKR was not running at full strength in this phase. Pace ace Pat Cummins was ruled out of the second half of the tournament, with Andre Russell spending almost half the time in the dugout due to injury. These were the two major overseas players, but their unavailability was hardly felt.
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There was also a question mark on Sunil Narine, who had to amend his action once again, and was also dropped from the West Indies T20 World Cup squad. Narine had been an integral part of KKR’s prospects last season. Will he be able to cope this time also technically and mentally?
Then there was the issue of poor top order in the first leg. What can be done to rectify this because there was very little backup capacity available? Apart from Morgan, the important overseas recruits were all bowlers and all-rounders: Narine, Russell, Shakib Al Hasan, Lockie Ferguson.
KKR responded to these and other results in every match they played in the second leg. There was both perseverance, flair and consistency in his performance. When matches got tight, the team quickly regrouped, with rough players raising their hands to win the position. Narine had some stellar individual performances in the Eliminator against RCB, where he took four priceless wickets and scored 26 invaluable runs. Or a great display of nerves, as Rahul Tripathi smashed Ravichandran Ashwin for a six to make it to the final.
The biggest decision taken by the team management, and the one that paid the most dividends, was to introduce batsman Venkatesh Iyer as the opener. A flamboyant left-hander, Iyer was a revelation in the tournament, not far behind KL Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad as the openers. Iyer also showed bowling skills and his controlled medium pace was of high value.
The only failure was Morgan going through a terrible lean, a sequence of scores that read like a telephone number. The suggestion that he should have dropped himself in the play-offs was laughable. As captain, Morgan was shrewd, demanding, sensible, persuasive, and got the best out of his players, which made him invaluable.
I have elaborated on KKR because their campaign in this tournament was exceptional. They are on the verge of a memorable win but it won’t come on a platter as CSK, barring a minor drop at the end of the league stage, have been playing brilliant cricket, finding ways and means to win through crises, with special performances. The batsman or bowler who emerged on the occasion.
CSK’s legacy in the IPL is stupendous, which adds to the pressure on the players, many of whom are on the wrong side of the 30s. Under the leadership of the iconic MS Dhoni, these players have maintained form, fitness and focus for a long time, which is not only commendable, but also the biggest threat to KKR in the finals; However, on the edge of form, Kolkata’s team looks more goals.
In batting, CSK have had a poor top-order apart from openers Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis, who have excelled. Uthappa played a brilliant knock in the qualifiers but it was difficult for Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina and even Dhoni in the middle order to make runs through CSK until a superb late attack against DC.
KKR’s bowlers, especially Shakib, Narine and Varun Chakraborty, are a serious threat to CSK’s batting. In the last two matches, the trio of spinners have collectively conceded just 65 and 80 runs in 12 overs in each game, and have taken a slew of wickets strangling opponents in the opening, middle and death overs. Ferguson and Shivam Mavi have also been precise and decisive, although they are not discussed much.
Despite poor form in batting and bowling, CSK being in the final shows ambition, mental toughness and ability to handle pressure. Maintaining form, fitness and motivation for long periods of time requires rigorous physical and mental conditioning. For self-belief, there is no better side than CSK, who have been champions thrice and in an IPL final for the 9th time, a simple figure that speaks.
Last time in 2014, KKR have been the winner of the title twice. They are back from the brink this season and one step away from charting the best turnaround story in IPL.
It promises to be the heck of a match!
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