Unfortunately, we ran out of luck: KKR pacer Trent Boult

Kolkata Knight Riders were once termed as the best ‘chasing’ side of Indian Premier League (IPL). With the opening stand of skipper Gautam Gambhir and compatriot Robin Uthappa, they would chase down any total whatsoever. The partnership of “Gauthappa” was still at large when they decided to experiment with their batting order a bit.

Australian batsman Chris Lynn was allowed to open the innings, alongside West Indian ‘all-rounder’ Sunil Narine. Soon their partnership got the name of “Lynnaru” (Narine is often called as “naru” by the bengalis, which is a sweet of Kolkata). KKR’s speedster Trent Boult feels that “Lynnaru” should continue to open in the coming games.

Unlike “Gauthappa” partnership which first looked at forming a partnership and then went on the attack, the “Lynnaru” partnership unleashed the assault from the word ‘go’. Though their partnership has been mesmerising, things are not falling into their right places for KKR. They are failing to chase down totals of around 165-175, which they once chased down easily. Despite fireworks at the beginning, the middle order is failing miserably day in day out, leading to a string of defeats for KKR.

Boult’s opinion

Many were of the opinion that KKR should go back to its famous “Gauthappa” formula, but KKR’s speedster from New Zealand does not feel the same. “It’s the formula we have followed throughout the tournament. It was about Narine and Lynn trying to put pressure on the opposition.The powerplay is a big phase of the game. It has come off very well for us in other games. I don’t think there’s any need to change the formula. It was just unfortunate that it did not work out tonight,” said Boult at the post-match press conference on Saturday, after losing against Mumbai Indians.

One cannot blame the fans for saying so because this was KKR’s first home defeat while chasing since 2013. “In this format, momentum is a big thing obviously. You would like to win as many games as you can. Unfortunately, it did not pan out our way. We had hurdles in the last couple of games. We know we have to play good cricket from now on. Every game is a tough game. It’s a must-win game for us now. The pressure is on us to deliver. Unfortunately, we ran out of luck,” Boult added.

Boult praised the away team bowlers for executing their plans wonderfully in a wicket that offered variation and bounce. “There was a little bit of variation and bounce. The luxury of bowling second is you can put the pressure on the opposition, claim wickets and make it very hard for the team to chase a decent total. We probably did not bat well enough, first of all. But I thought they bowled really well on a two-paced wicket.” Boult opined.

With already securing their place among Top 2, Mumbai rested as many as 6 of their ‘premium’ players for Saturday’s game. But KKR were not good enough to capitalize on the opportunity. “It’s disappointing to lose no matter which team it is. It’s a quality opposition and they can afford the luxury of moving a few players around and try a few combination. They delivered under pressure,” Boult said.

KKR’s Rs.6 crore bowler was not quite impressive at the beginning of the IPL, and Australian pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile took his place. But both Coulter-Nile and Woakes’ injury opened a chance for Boult, and he bowled well. “I was nice to be off few weeks. It’s hard to push into the side with only four having the chance to make the playing eleven. I enjoyed been out there tonight and contributing to the side. We have a lot of quality in the group.” said the Kiwi left-arm pacer.

KKR will now have to play the eliminator in Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy stadium. It will be interesting to see whether KKR changes their batting order or not.