IPL 2022: 3 changes KKR can make after defeat to RCB

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) suffered a three-wicket defeat in their second fixture of the IPL 2022 edition against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) after a letdown by their batting department. Under 10 overs, the team lost six wickets, and it took the contribution of Andre Russell and tail-enders to post a respectable total of 128 runs on the board.

However, the bowling unit was all charged up, with Umesh Yadav picking two and Tim Southee dismissing one batter in the powerplay overs to put pressure on the opposition. Sunil Narine was terrific with his efforts as well to keep the match in balance right until the last five overs.

The disappointing display by Andre Russell in the bowling unit, and the lack of a strong sixth bowling option for KKR helped RCB to win the game. For the third game against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on April 1, the team might change their strategy to secure a victory.

Let’s look at three changes KKR need to make

1. Chamika Karunaratne replacing Sam Billings

Although the English wicketkeeper Sam Billings provided a contribution of 25 in the first fixture and was average with a knock of 13 in the following league game, he might be replaced by Sri Lankan all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne.

Karunaratne has gradually become a permanent member of the Sri Lanka limited-overs team after a strong showing in the series against India last year. Although he has just 11 wickets and a paltry bowling average of 43.73 in 22 T20Is, he still can be a good choice as a regular bowling option and a hitter in the final overs.

The absence of Pat Cummins will keep hurting KKR for the next few matches as well, and Karunaratne seems to be the best bet for the time being to take KKR back to winning ways.

2. Sunil Narine at top-order

The spin bowling all-rounder, Sunil Narine was one of the four retained players by KKR ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction. This was due to his impactful performance in both departments in the tournament over the years.  In the next fixture, the team can try to bring Narine to the opening slot due to his track record to score runs and maximize the use of fielding restrictions.

In a total of 77 matches for KKR in IPL, Narine has opened on 37 occasions and garnered 724 runs at a fantastic strike rate of 176.59. With the experience of doing well in the past with the bat, the team management can have an attacking option in form of Narine at the top order.

For this change to happen, the present opener and all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer might have to sacrifice his position and switch to no. four or no. five for the stability of the team.

3. Using Spinners against PBKS Openers

The KKR team will have a tough task to contain Punjab Kings, who are coming into this game after a confidence-boosting victory in the last game against Royal Challengers Bangalore. The PBKS team has an experienced duo of Mayank Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan as their openers.

Mayank and Shikhar provided a great start to the PBKS team in the last game by smacking RCB pace bowlers. The KKR team management might think to bring Narine or Varun Chakaravarthy early in the attack to put the brakes on the runs scored in the powerplay overs and force the batters to make mistakes.

In particular, Dhawan has been dismissed more than 10 times to leg-spinners since IPL 2017, and Chakaravarthy can prove to be a quality option for the team in order to get quick wickets in the powerplay overs. In the past, Chakaravarthy has done well with the new ball for KKR.