IPL 2023 | Kolkata Knight Riders – A hollow sinking ship rotting from inside

Go big or go home – Kolkata Knight Riders have never been afraid of taking bold calls and being pioneers in one way or another. Korbo, Lorbo, and Jeetbo truly encapsulate their philosophy – never let your spirit break and fight for glory regardless of how the stakes are placed. No wonder then that over the years, the franchise has had a history of charismatic captains specializing in influencing the dressing room, be it Sourav Ganguly, Brendon McCullum, Gautam Gambhir or Eoin Morgan.

There were much fewer reasons to be optimistic about the batting, albeit the side did dominate the middle overs. Its average of 77 runs scored in the nine-over phase was the highest across all 10 franchises, buoyed by contributions from Nitish Rana, Shreyas Iyer, and Andre Russell. In fact, the trio contributed over 50% of the runs for KKR across the entire tournament, playing a major role in helping stabilize the team in times of despair.

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The bowling, as previously established, was much better off but still worrisome. One deficiency that stood out was the team’s inability to capitalize on good starts with the ball in the powerplay, as they had the third least wickets in the phase on average despite striking early more often than not. The team evidently lacked a second strike bowler to aid Umesh Yadav, with Tim Southee only managing four wickets in the eight matches in which he took the new ball.

Nevertheless, the team had the opportunity to rectify certain aspects of their balance at the IPL Auction in December. The franchise let go of a startling 14 players, well aware of their need to improve. The major overhaul also offered the team a chance to mould a squad as per the conditions expected in Eden Gardens with the IPL set to return to the traditional home-away format after a three-year hiatus. Historically a green track, the venue produced spin-friendly pitches for several years in the IPL once the side acquired Sunil Narine, a decision that reaped the rewards. Since the start of the marquee tournament through to the 2016 edition, fast and medium-pace bowlers had the worst average as well as strike rate at the venue – they conceded a run more per over than the off-spinners while wickets came at the cost of six additional runs. However, 2017 saw the venue revert to its ideals as the franchise acquired five foreign frontline seamers including Trent Boult and Nathan-Coulter Nile. Since, pacers have once again had the best average at the venue, far surpassing their spin counterparts.

In the batting department, the side filled the spot of a missing wicket-keeper batter by acquiring N Jagadeesan who showed great promise at SMAT 2022, averaging nearly 30 while striking over 130. The onus would be on the 27-year-old to lock down the opener’s slot as his own and bring the side some stability at the top of the order, perhaps the side’s biggest woe in 2022. Lastly, the team welcomed back Shakib Al Hasan to the franchise following an impressive run of form for Bangladesh. Operating at number three for The Tigers, the all-rounder has experienced a great ascendancy in responsibility following the news regarding Shreyas Iyer. More than capable of holding the fort down for the team while others around him take the charge, it remains to be seen whether the veteran can fulfill expectations.

There is also an added element of strategy in the IPL 2023 with the introduction of the Impact Player Rule. The ability of a side to sub a player in the middle of a game means teams now have to prepare not 11 but 12-man lineups, adding a great number of possibilities in terms of combinations for franchises.

KKR, however, has perhaps the least ideal squad to make full use of the rule but they still have a couple of options at their disposal. While the 10.75 crore price tag might deter the side from using Shardul Thakur as just an Impact Player, it is the option that makes the most sense for KKR. The franchise primarily used Umesh Yadav as a powerplay specialist, with the pacer bowling 40 of his overs in the six-over phase as compared to 26 overs in the remaining part of the innings. Usually, the spearhead was bowled out within the first eight overs. Thereby, the side can bring in Thakur to not only bolster the side’s middle-over bowling but also give them an extra batting option in the lower middle order. Similarly, if the side bats first, a specialist batter such as Mandeep Singh could be replaced with someone like Varun Charavarthy after being dismissed, adding a handy lower-order batter and a primary bowling option to the lineup.

All said and done, the improvements have hardly reduced KKR 's possibility of a last-place finish for what would only be the second time in the franchise's history after 2009. It would be no less than miraculous for the franchise to even manage a sniff of the playoffs as they seem doomed for a mid-table finish at best and a disastrous season at worst.