IPL 10 Playoffs – SWOT Analysis of Kolkata Knight Riders

Three and a bit weeks into the tournament, Kolkata Knight Riders was the best team on show as they sat pretty on the top of the table with 7 wins from 9 games. They had the highest Net Run Rate as well and looked certain to qualify for the playoffs. What construed next; left everybody flummoxed.

After such a dominating start, KKR struggled to qualify for the playoffs as they lost four out of their last five games. They eventually made it due to their staggering NRR that they had maintained during the early phase of the tournament and also because RPS had defeated Kings XI Punjab, who had a great run towards the end of the tournament but fell short by just two points. Gambhir had a disconsolate look on his face, game after game.

With the Eliminator game a few hours away, Gambhir needs to regroup his men and concentrate on what lies ahead rather than ruing the missed opportunities. KKR need to decide on the opening combination they want to go in with for this knockout game in Bengaluru.

Narine has done well at the top of the order but with Lynn’s return, Gambhir is left to bat at an unfamiliar territory in T20 cricket: the No. 3 position. The batting order has to change a lot to accommodate Narine at the top. Gambhir will definitely think long and hard before the game about the opening combination conundrum. The skipper is a big match player and must promote himself to open the innings for best results.

Let us have a look at the SWOT analysis of the Kolkata Knight Riders as they head onto Bengaluru to take on the defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad:

Strengths:

Consistent top order

Chris Lynn has fired in whatever games he has played this year. In 5 games, the Australian has already racked up 285 runs at a strike rate of 186.27. In Lynn’s absence, Gambhir has done a great job opening the innings. The skipper averages 41.27 after 14 games making 454 runs, which is the third most by a batsman this year. Narine has done a job by getting quick runs at the top of the order.

Wicket-keeper batsman Robin Uthappa too has chipped in with crucial runs at No. 3. The right-hander averages 35 after 11 innings making 386 runs at a strike rate of almost 168. All in all, the top order of KKR has fired almost every game and is in reasonable form going into this crunch game.

Manish Pandey’s form has been sublime

Pandey has largely batted at No. 4 this year. He has taken the responsibility of batting through till the end of the innings. The right-hander’s method of going about in the middle overs has stood out. His best knock so far this year was his unbeaten 69 against Daredevils at Delhi. He took it upon himself to finish off the tense chase in the last over. His second half-century, an unbeaten 81 against Mumbai Indians, was another reminder of this middle order batsman’s ability during the middle overs. Though this knock could not culminate into a win like the Delhi one did, Pandey exhibited his good hitting abilities at the back end of the innings as he faced just a mere 47 balls for his knock. He will again hold the key for KKR in the middle order.

Great bench strength

KKR had Shakib Al Hasan, one of the best all-rounders in limited overs cricket going around in the world, on the bench for the entire length of the league stages apart from his solitary appearance against Gujarat Lions, where he went for 31 runs from the 3 overs he bowled. Having someone of Shakib’s calibre warming the bench is a testimony to their bench strength. Nathan Coulter-Nile had not played much cricket in the lead up to this tournament but he contributed to the cause of KKR whenever he was deemed fit picking 11 wickets from 6 games.

Weakness

Struggling lower-middle order

Barring Uthappa and Pandey, the rest of the batsman have largely struggled in the middle order. KKR has entrusted in Yusuf Pathan a lot but he has had a middling season so far. Gambhir backs the big-hitter every time he runs into a string of low scores and expects him to come good in this all important clash. Surya Kumar Yadav has had a poor season scoring just 74 runs in 6 innings. It was guys like Yadav and Yusuf who were doing a great job batting lower down the innings last season but, so far, it hasn’t happened this year.

Narine’s ordinary show as a bowler

While Narine has set the stage on fire with his swashbuckling innings, he hasn’t been at his best as a bowler. KKR has relied a lot on him to pick wickets but the West Indian has got just 10 sticks from 14 games. He needs to improve his performance in this crunch game if KKR is to progress any further.

Opportunities

KKR has the same team; with the exception of Woakes, who has flown home; which won 7 out of the first 9 games so there is no reason they can’t emulate that performance again. The Bengaluru wicket has spun this year which gives an opportunity for the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Piyush Chawla to make a name for themselves. They have a great leader in Gambhir who can inspire and motivate the lot to do well against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Gambhir has won two World Cup finals for India on his own hence he is a big match player. KKR will look towards Gambhir to lead from the front.

Threats

KKR have relied way too much on their top order’s success to win games this year. If they lose a couple of wickets up front, the middle order will be put under immense pressure. Knowing this, the Sunrisers’ bowlers will come hard at them with the new ball and will be thinking wickets rather than containing the batsmen. The likes of Surya Kumar and Yusuf Pathan will be under immense pressure whenever they come out to bat for they have had an under-firing season so far. SRH will target these individuals in this Eliminator clash.