KKR lost the victory – batting order experiment turned out to be a big mistake|
Sometimes good captaincy and strong intent are not enough if wrong decisions are taken at the wrong time – and Kolkata Knight Riders did the same in Tuesday’s match. They had a chase of 239 but a batting order blunder spoiled everything.
Sending Rinku and Russell late – a big mistake?
KKR sent Ramandeep Singh and Angkrish Raghuvanshi before Russell and Rink, when the match was tight.
Result?
Ramandeep: Could not do anything in 2 balls
Raghuvanshi: Wasted 4 balls and got out
And by the time Rinku Singh came, the equation was 19 runs in 3 balls. He hit a six on the last ball and lost the match by just 4 runs.
Rinku had hope, but there was no time
Rinku refused to take some singles in the 19th over – the strategy was that he would hit the boundary himself. But by the time he came in full flow, it was too late. Even Andre Russell started with a big six, but got out in the very next shot. If both had come earlier, the direction of the game could have been different.
Did KKR not learn anything from the past?
This is not the first time that KKR has sent Rinku and Russell late. In the last season too, there was a debate on the batting order of these two. And after this match, it seems that the team management has still not learnt their lesson. Ajinkya Rahane supported the decision in the post match conference: “Ramandeep is a quality player.. If he clicks, then no one would ask any questions.” Fair point, but “agar” does not give results in cricket. Taking risk and experimenting at such a moment proved costly for the team.
Key moments of the match:
Narine and Rahane gave a strong start.
Venkatesh Iyer created momentum in the middle.
But KKR’s flow broke from the 15th over, when Raghuvanshi was sent out.
Avesh Khan and Ravi Bishoni were also afraid of Rinku – but by then the match was over.
Pressure increased before the playoffs
If KKR keeps taking such confusing decisions, then the dream of playoffs can become difficult. The frustration of the fans is clearly visible, and the team management will have to give answers.
