Not everyone in Kolkata Knight Riders is on the same page: Deep Dasgupta

The runners-up of the last season, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have been disappointing with their performances in the IPL 2022, with only three wins in nine league matches. They have lost their last five matches on the trot and are desperate for a much-needed win. In their tenth league match, they are up against Rajasthan Royals (RR). Ahead of this fixture, the former Indian cricketers Deep Dasgupta and Wasim Jaffer discussed the form of KKR in the ongoing season.

Dasgupta believes there is certainly a communication gap in the team, and not everyone in the KKR camp is on the same page. He mentioned that the team started with three wins in the first four league fixtures, but kept on making changes in the Playing XI. The former opener thinks these changes have made the team environment unstable, which has caused their slide in the tournament.

Further, he added that the likes of Andre Russell is a terrific player, but can’t win you every game and hoped Shreyas Iyer takes the responsibility of scoring the bulk of runs in the coming matches.

“I just get a feeling that not everyone in that dressing room is on the same page. Generally, after you have a good start with three wins in four league matches, you hold on to that combination and make the required tactical changes. They have just made too many changes in the last few games, which tells you that things aren’t right in the team,” said Dasgupta on Sky247.net presents ‘Not Just Cricket’ Show on CricTracker.

“They leave too much for Andre Russell, and he can’t win you every game. Someone like Shreyas Iyer needs to take responsibility like KL Rahul,” Dasgupta added.

There is no clarity, on who’s gonna open the innings: Wasim Jaffer

Jaffer felt that the team started well, but failed to bring their A-game after the return of Aaron Finch and Pat Cummins in Playing XI. He then stressed the fact that Russell hasn’t fired on most of the occasions, and Shreyas has failed to convert starts into big ones and ultimately win the match for the team.

“Initially in the first few matches, they were on track. But, they fizzled out even after the return of Aaron Finch and Pat Cummins. There are a lot of loopholes, Andre Russell hasn’t fired much, and Shreyas has not been able to win games,” said Jaffer.

Jaffer reckoned that there’s no clarity in the KKR side, on who’s gonna be opening the innings. He then added that it’s difficult for any team to post a good score on the board, without the support of their openers. Meanwhile, KKR dropped Venkatesh Iyer against RR, and they are likely to open with Aaron Finch and Sunil Narine.

“There is no clarity, on who’s gonna open the innings. Once your openers don’t give you a solid start, it’s very difficult for any team to post a strong score on the board. They certainly need to win all the games to stand the chance of qualifying for the playoffs,” Jaffer added.

Check out our analysis report of who will win today’s IPL match between GT and PBKS